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EDWARD     WAEREX,     M.     D, 


A  DOCTOR'S  EXPERIENCES 


IN 


THREE   CONTINENTS. 


By  EDWARD  WARREN,  M.  D.,  C.  M.,  LL.  D. 


BEY  BY  KHEDIVAL  FIRMAN. 


Formerly  Medical  Inspector  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia;  more  recently  Sur- 

geonin-  Chief  of  the  War  Department  of  Egypt;  Professor  Emeritus  College 

of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Baltimore,  Md.;   Chevalier 

of  the  Legion  of  Honor  of  France ;  Commander 

of  the  Order  of  the  Osmanieh  of 

Turkey,  dc,  dc,  dc. 


IN  A  SERIES  OF  LETTEES  ADDRESSED  TO 

aDiimants  of 

JOHN  MOREIS,  M.  D.,  of  BALTIMORE,  MD. 


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BALTIMOEE,  MD. 

CusHiNGS  &  Bailey,  Publishees. 

1885. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1883  by  John  Moeeis,  M.  D.» 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  LETTERS. 


LETTER  I. 

MY  FATHER. 


My  father — His  services  in  the  Confederate  army — His  po- 
litical opinions — His  grief  over  the  supposed  death  of  a  son 
— The  wounding  of  his  son  at  Gettysburg — Meeting  of  two 
brothers — My  father's  character  and  characteristics — His 
death — Dreams — Spiritualism — Religion. 


LETTER  II. 

MY  MOTHER. 


Self-made  men — Pride  of  blood  and  its  effect  upon  character — 
The  Innes  family — My  grandmother — Virginia  hospitality 
— A  temperance  hotel — My  mother — Her  character — My 
birthplace — Edenton. 


LETTER  III. 

EARLY  DAYS. 

School — Death  of  my  dog  from  grief— The  treed  Pasha — ^Visit 
to  Washington  and  meeting  wdth  Mr.  Tyler — His  dispute 
with  the  Whig  party — Webster's  fidelity — The  Princeton — 
Bursting  of  her  great  gun — Mr.  Tyler's  luck — Miss  Gardner 
— First  night  at  school  and  the  fight  and  friendship  which 
grew  out  of  it — Dr.  George  A.  Otis — Fighting  as  a  peace 
measure. 

LETTER  IV. 

EARLY  DAYS,  (Continued.) 

Fire-eaters  of  ante-helium  times — Cowards — Dueling — A  church 
school  and  its  overdose  of  religion — The  morbid  but  credu- 
lous seminarian— A  night  at  the  seminary— The  good  luck 
it  brought  me— ^Mistaken  vocations— The"^  great  (?)  professor 
— Vanity — Ingratitude. 


iv  SYNOPSIS   OF   LETTERS. 

LETTEK  V. 

AN  EPISODE. 

Make  agreeable  friends— My  first  sweetheart— My  passion 
expresses  itself  in  verse— A  muff  and  a  mistake— A  remark- 
able dream  and  its  realization— The  letter  of  recall— The 
confession  and  the  finale— K  malignant  but  baffled  teacher 
—Another  visit  to  Nag's  Head— Parson  Midget  and  his- 
congregation  of  psalm  singers  and  land  pirates — Changes- 
wrought  by  winds  and  vandals. 


LETTEE  VI. 

COLLEGE  DAYS. 

Start  for  college— Sickness  by  the  wayside— Arrival  and  re- 
lapse—Fight with  showmen— Death  of  Glover  and  humili- 
ation of  Smith — Another  summer  at  the  seashore— A  cy- 
clone and  the  wrecker's  harvest— My  sister's  disappointment 
and  death— Scattered  bodies— Poetical  effusion— Dr.  Will- 
iam H.  McGufiy— Professor  Scheie  de  Vere— Professor 
William  B.  Rogers — Arraigned  for  gate  burning. 

LETTER  VII. 

STUDY  OF  A  PROFESSION. 

Join  the  Jefferson  Society — Its  reader,  president  and  valedic- 
torian—Choice of  a  profession — Argument  between  father 
and  son — Medicine  versus  Law — Medicine  victrix — Ob- 
stinacy as  a  dominant  principle — Return  to  the  university 
as  a  Med.— Defeat— Triumph— Graduate  in  medicine,  &c. 
— Commence  practice  under  William's  auspices — William, 
the  doctor,  preacher  and  faithful  servant — Earliest  profes- 
sional experiences. 

LETTER  VIII. 

A  WINTER  IN  PHILADELPHIA. 

Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia— Professor  Bache's^ 
Vitriolated  Tartar — Students  versus  citizens — Results  of  the 
quarrel — A  practical  temperance  lecture  and  a  convert — 
Conceive  the  idea  of  hypodermic  medication  and  scarlatina- 
tion. 


SYNOPSIS    OF    LETTERS.  V 

LETTEE  IX. 

A  VISIT  TO  PARIS. 

Visit  to  Europe — Steamer  "  Pacific  "  of  the  Collins  line — First 
impressions  of  the  fog-horn — A  lecture  on  sea-sickness — 
Pleasant  companions — Arrival  at  Liverpool — Visit  to  Little 
Bolton — The  mother  of  an  aristocrat — Codfish  aristocracy 
abroad — An  unexpected  encounter — Promotion  from  the 
ranks  to  the  kitchen — The  neutrality  and  heroism  of  a  good 
man. 

LETTEE  X. 

IX  PAEIS. 

Doctor  Epps  and  a  dinner  chez  Phillipp^ — The  Palais  Eoyale, 
its  chefs,  cuisines  and  caves — Politics  and  gastronomy — 
French  characteristics — The  clubs  of  Paris — Public  and  pri- 
vate gambling — Hospitals  and  professors — Eicord,  Velpeau, 
Piorry,  Nelaton,  Trousseau  and  Jobert  de  Lambelle — First 
acquaintance  with  Charcot,  and  subsequent  kindness  at  his 
hands — An  interrupted  toilet  and  an  unfilled  engagement. 


LETTEE  XL 

EETUEN  TO  EDENTON. 

Visit  to  Italy — Parsimonious  friends — Eeturn  home  in  the 
"  North  Star  " — Fellow  passengers — Conservatism  of  the 
medical  profession — Governor  Wise  and  the  Know-nothing 
party — Yellow  fever  at  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth — Heroism 
of  the  doctors — Views  of  the  disease — A  supposed  danger- 
ous rival — His  collapse  and  flight — Shifting  responsibility — 
The  sad  story  of  Dr.  Wright — The  broken-hearted  wife. 


LETTEE  XII. 

COMMENCE  LIFE  IN  EARNEST. 

Join  my  father  in  business — The  Collins  family — Somerset 
Place — Southern  life  and  hospitality — The  negroes  and 
their  peculiar  customs — The  same  customs  found  among 
the  blacks  in  Egypt — Obtain  the  Fiske  Fund  Prize — Deliver 
oration  before  the  North  Carolina  Medical  Society. 


VI  SYNOPSIS   OF   LETTERS. 

LETTER  XIII. 

AT  WORK. 

The  Johnstone  family — Mr.  James  C.  Johnstone — The  Rector 
— His  character  and  his  death — His  second  daiitrhter.  EHza- 
beth  Cotton,  becomes  my  wife — We  visit  Virginia  and  Xew 
York — Mr.  Johnstone  presents  me  with  Albania  and  a 
number  of  negroes. 

LETTER  XIV. 

THE    WILL   CASE. 

Mr.  James  C.  Johnstone's  change  of  sentiments  toward  his- 
family — His  insanity — His  unnatural  will — His  heii-s  con- 
test— Memoraljle  trial — Adverse  verdict  and  ruin  of  the 
family — 01<l  Edenton  after  the  war — The  treason  <.>f  the 
"  Colonel " — Incidejits  of  his  life. 

LETTER  XV. 

ALBANIA. 

Birth  of  a  daughter — The  John  Brown  raid — Command  a 
military  company — Mitchell,  the  bear  hunter — Visit  to  Vir- 
ginia .Springs  and  meeting  with  Mr.  Johnstone — Joseph  M. 
Levy — Go  to  Baltimore  as  a  professor. 

LETTER  XVI. 

THE  ROLE   OF   A    PROFESSOR. 

Experiences  as  a  teacher — First  failure,  then  success — Profes- 
sional and  social  experiences — The  attack  of  19th  of  April 
— Death  of  Mr.  Davis — !My  own  narrow  escape — Davis^ 
character. 

LETTER  XVII. 

THE    WAR    BEGUN. 

Excitement  in  Baltimore — A  memorable  Sunday — Made  chief 
surgeon  of  the  municipal  forces — Sent  on  a  mission — Ben. 
Butler  at  the  Relay  House — Ashby — Charles  AVinder — John 
Winder — Prisoners  of  war — Richmond  and  its  state  of  excite- 
ment— Governor  Letcher — Governor  Ellis — Success  of  mis- 
sion— Communications  from  University  of  Alaryland — Sur- 
geon-general of  North  Carolina  navy — Hatteras  and  its 
mementoes. 


SYNOPSIS   OF   LETTERS.  Til 

LETTER  XYIII. 

WAR   EXPERIENCES. 

Revisit  Richmond — Appointed  surgeon  in  Confederate  army 
— Ordered  to  the  hospital  at  the  University  of  Virginia — 
State  of  the  wounded — Condition  of  the  army — The  medical 
department — An  operation  at  the  hip-joint — Bravery  of 
the  wounded — Professor  Venable — Professor  Coleman — Dr. 
Lewis  Coleman — Dr.  Fairfax — Dr.  Moon — Mr.  Wirtenbaker 
—Dr.  John  Staige  Davis— Dr.  J.  L.  Cabell— Prof.  J.  B. 
Minor. 

LETTER  XIX. 

WAR  EXPERIENCES,  (Continued.) 

Ordered  to  Richmond  and  placed  on  board  of  examination 
and  inspection — Pleasant  duties  and  agreeable  colleagues — 
Society — Devotion  of  Southern  women — Ordered  to  Xorth 
Carolina — Examination  of  surgeons — A  morbid  chairman 
— Battle  of  Xew  Berne — Flight  and  panic — Made  Medical 
Director  of  department  of  Cape  Fear — Visit  to  Richmond 
— Dr.  L.  Guild — Mechanicsville — General  Lee — Appointed 
Medical  Director,  but  decline — Made  Medical  Inspector — 
The  morning  after  the  tight — Malvern  Hill — Laurel  Grove 
and  its  associations — Return  to  Xorth  Carolina — Write  a 
manual  of  military  surgery. 

LETTER  XX. 

SURGEON-GENERAL  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Hon.  Z.  B.  \^ince  elected  Governor  of  Xorth  Carolina — Ap- 
pointed Surgeon-General  of  the  State — Dr.  T.  J.  Boykin — 
Work  done  for  the  soldiers — An  epidemic  of  small-pox 
stamped  out— Pleasant  relations  with  the  governor — His 
fine  character  and  loyal  conduct — His  visit  to  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia— Xorth  Carolina's  contribution  to  the 
war — Fort  Fisher  and  its  fall. 

LETTER  XXI. 

EXCITING    ADVENTURE    AT    KINSTON. 

ISTarrow  escape  from  death  and  capture— Arrival  at  Golds- 
borough— Preparation  for  serious  work— General  G.  W. 
Smith  takes  command  and  appoints  me  Medical  Director — 
Retreat  of  Foster— Colonel  INIoses  and  Governor  Vance's 
dispatch — Governor  Vance's  kindness  to  prisoners  of  'war 
at  Salisbury— A  train  of  wounded  soldiers. 


VIU  SYNOPSIS    OF   LETTERS. 

LETTER  XXII. 

MISSION    TO    GENERAL   SHERMAN. 

Governor  Vance's  distress  at  Lee's  surrender — His  eflbrts  to 
preserve  Raleigh — His  commission  to  General  Sherman — 
Exciting  adventures — Return  to  Raleigh — The  depot  in 
flames— Kilpatrick  baffled— His  life  attempted  by  maraud- 
ers— Their  fate. 

LETTER  XXIII. 

COLONEL   BAYLOR,  U.  S.  A. 

Kind  reception  by  Colonel  Baylor — Generals  Blair  and  Sco- 
field  as  Union  constructors— General  Sherman's  conserva- 
tism in  North  Carolina — He  keeps  faith  with  the  State  com- 
missioners— Embarrassed  by  Lincoln's  death  and  Johnson's 
accession — His  grand  review — Return  home — Contrabands 
— Edenton  after  the  war. 

LETTER  XXIV. 

BALTIMORE   AFTER   THE   WAR. 

Return  to  Baltimore — Changes — The  wolf  at  the  door — Four 
friends  come  to  the  rescue — The  Levy  will  case — A  favor- 
able verdict  an<l  a  reduced  legacy — Sunshine  again — New 
medical  schools,  and  a  bitter  controversy — A  memento  of 
the  war — Medico-legal  cases — The  friendless  Confederate 
— The  condemned  negress. 

LETTER  XXV. 

THE   WHARTON   CASE. 

The  AVharton  case — Interview  with  ]Mr.  Thomas — Argument 
submitted  to  him — ]\Ir.  Steele — The  trial  at  AnnaiX)lis — 
Cross-questioned  by  Mr.  Syester — A  bombshell  in  court. 

LETTER  XXVI. 
THE  WHARTON  CASE,  (Continued.) 

A  battery  turned — A  witness  stumbles — Attacked  in  the  rear 

— Letters  from  Alfred  Swain  Taylor  and  Thomas  Stevenson 
supporting  my  position — Victorious  at  Annapolis,  but  ruined 
in  Baltimore— The  potency  of  popular  prejudice — Sympathy 
of  the  American  Medical' Association — Fidelity — Grief  for 
my  boy. 


SYNOPSIS    OF    LETTERS.  IX 

LETTER  XXVII. 

SEEKING    A    NEW    FIELD. 

Seek  a  professorship  elsewhere — Letters  from  Doctors  Gross 
and  McGufiS- — Enter  the  service  of  the  Khedive — Given 
a  dinner  at  Barnum's — AVilUam  joins  me  at  Jersey  City — 
Some  account  of  William  Hughes,  my  faithful  servant — 
Hats  versus  tarbouches — Ophthalmia  and  tlies — Accjuisition 
of  foreign  languages — Fishing  for  a  compliment  and  catch- 
ing a  Tartar. 

LETTER  XXVIII. 

UNDER   THE    KHEDIVE. 

Sail  from  Xew  York  in  the  Abyssinia — My  illness  and  Will- 
iam's adventure  at  Liverp<:)oi — Sir  James  Paget — Paris  in 
mourning — To  Brindisi  under  ditticulties — Alexamlria  and 
Gabara — Cairo  in  a  khamp^efu — Egypt — Its  religion  and 
customs — The  Copts — Achmet  FahmV,  the  dragoman — His 
conversion — Loss  of  our  Ijaby — Amoonah,  his  nurse — Her 
fidelity  and  devotion — An  attack  of  ophthalmia. 

LETTER  XXIX. 

IN    EGYPT. 

Hareems — Mothers — Divorces — The  captain's  dilemma — ]\Ius- 
tahalls  and  their  vocation — A  demonstrative  patient — The 
penalty  of  seeing  a  woman's  uncovered  face — A  bey's  in- 
trigue and  its  results — Domestic  life. 


LETTER  XXX. 

EGYPTIAN    EXPERIENCES. 

Tewfick  Pasha,  the  present  Khedive — Ismail  Pasha,  the  late 
Khedive — His  services — His  return  necessary  and  inevitable 
— General  Loring's  hospitality — A  summer  at  Gabara — Gen- 
eral Sibley — Colonel  Jenifer-^The  Reynolds,  father  and  son 
— Major  Camj^bell — A  pilfering  comrade — My  first  i^atient 
— My  successful  treatment  of  the  Minister  of  AVar — His 
hist  or  V. 


X  SYNOPSIS   OF   LETTERS. 

LETTER  XXXI. 

EGYPTIAN  EXPERIENCES,  (Continued.) 

An  insane  patient — Popular  ideas  respecting  lunatics  and 
i(iiots — Ainein  Pasha  and  his  medical  bill — Promotion — 
Examining  recruits — Furloughed  soldiers  and  veterans — 
The  gratitude  of  the  latter— Attempts  at  bribery — The 
Prince's  perplexity — Forewarned  of  a  plot  for  my  destruc- 
tion— Narrow  escape — Dr.  Abbate-Bey — Dr.  J.  J.  Crane. 

LETTER  XXXII. 

A    FURLOUGH. 

A  six  months'  "  leave  " — A  rival  surgeon-general  and  his  \ic- 
tims — The  snake  charmers — Start  for  Paris — English  gen- 
tlemen— General  Mott — Doc-tor  Landolt — Return  to  Egj-pt 
prohibited — INIade  a  Licentiate  of  the  University  of  France 
— Honorably  discharged  from  the  Egyptian  army — A  bless- 
ing in  disguise — Eunuchs — ^Iv  first  patient  in  Paris — ^lade 
"  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Isabella  the  Catholic." 

LETTER  XXXIII. 

LIFE  IN  PARIS. 

The  evening  visitor — Nature's  nobleman — The  sympathetic 
friend — A  typhoid  case — The  daily  narcotic — The  startling 
discovery — Adroit  robbery — "Help  me,  Doctor" — A  dis- 
gusted banker — The  prompt  arrest — Mazas — Release  and 
restitution — An  amazed  convalescent. 

LETTER  XXXIV. 

LIFE  IN  PARIS,  (Continued.) 

Distinguished  patients — Hon.  Thomas  A.  Hendricks — His 
appearance  and  character — General  Grant — Estimate  of  his 
character — His  devotion  to  his  friends — General  Torbert — 
His  character  and  fate — Judge  Noah  Davis — Judge  John 
E.  Brady — Hon.  S.  Teakle  AVallis — Lady  Anna  Gore-Lang- 
ton-^ Visit  to  London — English  mode  of  paying  medical 
bills — Dignity  of  French  physicians — Medical  fees — Injus- 
tice to  physicians — Advice  to  patients. 


SYNOPSIS   OF   LETTERS.  xi 

LETTER  XXXV. 

LIFE  IN  PARIS,  (Continued.) 

Professional  success— Calumnies— Libelous  newspaper  clip- 
pings—Defamation in  France— Secret  denunciations,  &c  — 
Police  espionage— Scandal  agencies— Hotel  leeches— The 
Exposition  of  1878— Great  sorroM  — The  Cross  of  the  Ledon 
of  Honor— Other  decorations— The  degree  of  LL.  D.— De- 
votion to  Xorth  Carolina— Love  of  native  land— America 
as  contrasted  with  other  countries.    • 


PREFACE. 


Eesponding  to  the  persuasions  of  partial  friends 
and  loving  children,  I  have  written  a  history  of  my 
life,  and  now  present  it  to  the  world  in  the  form  of 
this  series  of  familiar  letters. 

I  have  been  prompted  to  the  venture  neither  by 
an  idle  vanity  nor  a  vaunting  egotism,  hut  mainly 
by  the  conviction  that,  in  experiences  so  unique 
and  yet  so  diversified  as  mine  have  been,  there 
must  necessarily  be  embodied  much  that  is  calcu- 
lated to  impress,  interest  and  instruct  both  the 
medical  profession  and  the  general  public. 

At  the  same  time  a  sense  of  justice  to  myself  and 
to  others  constrains  the  confession,  that  a  desire  to 
elaborate  and  perpetuate  the  record  of  my  strangely 
eventful  life  has  constituted  no  insignificant  factor 
in  the  motives  which  have  influenced  the  perform- 
ance of  this  task.  I  know  that  to  the  hypercritical 
this  will  seem  only  a  phase  of  the  selfish  considera- 
tions which  I  have  disclaimed  in  the  premises  ;  but, 
unmindful  of  their  censure,  I  shall  trust  to  the 
more  generous  to  interpret  it  properly — to  at- 
tribute it  to  the  suggestions  of  that  honest  pride 
and  honorable  ambition  which  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  the  case  have  served  to  develop  and  to 
legitimate. 

The  title  selected  for  the  book  is  suggestive  alike 
of  its  character  and  its  scope,  since  it  recounts  the 
history  of  a  career  in  which  the  domination  of  a 
strange  but  imperious  destiny  has  manifested  itself 
in  the  transformation  of  a  country  doctor  into  a 


XIV  PREFACE. 

Professor,  a  Surgeon-G-eneral  and  a  Chevalier  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor,  and  the  transference  of  the  scene 
of  his  labors  from  the  swamps  of  Carolina  to  the 
shores  of  the  Chesapeake,  the  borders  of  the  Nile 
and  the  quartiers  of  the  Seine. 

I  have  selected  the  espistolary  method  of  com- 
munication with  my  readers,  because  it  is  that 
form  of  communication  with  which  I  am  most  fa- 
miliar, while  it  admits  of  a  freedom  of  style  and  a 
latitude  of  narration  which  seem  best  suited  to  an 
autobiography. 

I  dedicate  this  work  to  my  honored  colleague, 
Doctor  John  Morris,  for  the  reason  that,  as  my 
mind  reverts  to  Ihe  scenes  of  the  past,  he  looms 
up  most  conspicuously  as  the  friend  of  their  shade 
and  their  sunshine,  and  it  is  to  him  that  my.  heart 
instinctively  offers  the  amplest  tribute  of  its  love 
and  gratitude. 

Paris,  June  1,  1885. 


A  DOCTOR'S  EXPERIENCES 


IN 


THREE    CONTINENTS. 


LETTER   L 

MY  FATHEK. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

When  you  met  my  father  in  Baltimore  just  after 
the  war,  you  saw  in  him  the  ruins  of  a  remarkable 
man.  He  was  then  only  sixty-five  years  of  age, 
and  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  conflict  he  had 
been  unusually  vigorous.  But  the  four  years  of 
exile  from  home,  of  anxiety  on  account  of  his 
sons — all  of  whom  were  in  the  Southern  army — 
and  of  unremitting  attention  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  under  his  charge,  together  with  the  total 
loss  of  his  property  and  the  utter  ruin  of  his  sec- 
tion, broke  him  down  completely.  Although  an 
^'old-line  Whig,"  and  originally  opposed  to  se- 
cession, wheu  the  issue  was  definitely  made  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  and  the  sacred  soil  of 
Virginia — his  ^'  Mother  State  "  and  the  object  of 
his  supreme  devotion — was  actually  invaded,  he 
never  hesitated  a  moment  ;  but,  abandoning  his 
business,  his  property,  and  his  home,  he  joined  his 
fortunes  with  those  of  the  Confederacy,  and  ac- 
cepted a  surgeon's  commission  in  its  service.  He 
did  his  duty  faithfully,  but  he  came  out  of  the  con- 


16  A   DOCTORS   EXPERIENCES 

flict  shattered  in  body,  prostrated  in  spirit,  and  in- 
capable of  any  serious  exertion. 

Nothing  contributed  more  to  this  result  than  the 
wounding  and  the  supposed  death  of  one  of  his  boys. 
Crittenden^  his  fourth  son,  who  was  at  that  time 
only  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  a  lieutenant  in  the 
''  flag  company  "  of  the  Fifty-second  North  Caro- 
lina Regiment — a  position  to  which  he  had  been 
elevated  from  the  ranks  for  conspicuous  bravery — 
was  in  the  final  and  fatal  charge  at  Gettysburg. 

Two  days  after  that  fearful  battle  my  father  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  one  of  the  survivors  of  his 
son's  company  to  the  effect  that  he  saw  ''  Lieuten- 
ant Warren  killed,  with  the  colors  of  the  regiment 
in  his  hands,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  enemy's 
works  ;"  and  in  a  short  time  other  letters  arrived 
from  officers  of  the  regiment,  confirming  this  state- 
ment in  the  most  positive  manner.  As  he  was  a 
noble  boy,  this  intelligence  utterly  prostrated  his 
parents,  and  they  abandoned  themselves  to  grief. 
About  four  weeks  afterward  *  a  letter  arrived  by 
flag  of  truce  from  a  comrade,  saying  "Lieutenant 
Warren  was  not  killed  outright,  but  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  is  now  dying  in  one  of  the  Federal 
hospitals  at  Gettysburg."  This  communication 
brought  no  consolation  with  it,  although  it  did  in- 
spire some  faint  hope — just  enough  to  torture  the 
aching  hearts  of  those  who  loved  him.  Then  came 
an  additional  source  of  anxiety.  Another  son  was 
missing. 

Dr.  Llewellyn  P.  Warren,  senior  surgeon  of  Pet- 
tigrew's  Brigade,  had  been  left  with  the  wounded 
of  his  command,  and  nothing  had  since  been  heard 
of  him.  In  vain  did  we  try  by  all  possible  means 
"to  obtain  some  information  respecting  the  fate  of 
our  loved  ones  ;  and  you  can  well  understand  how 
dreadful  was  this  state  of  suspense  and  anxiety  to 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  IT 

US  all,  but  especially  to  our  father  and  mother. 
Days  which  seemed  like  years^,  weeks  that  appeared 
to  have  no  ending,  passed  away,  and  when  hope 
liad  died,  and  despair  had  set  its  seal  upon  the 
hearts  of  the  weary  watchers,  like  light  from 
heaven,  a  letter  came  from  one  of  Baltimore's  fair- 
est daughters — sent  surreptitiously  through  the 
lines — conveying  the  joyful  intelligence  that  Llew. 
had  accidentally  discovered  his  wounded  brother, 
and  with  loving  care  had  snatched  him  from  the 
jaws  of  death  ;  that  Crittenden  was  slowly  but 
surely  recovering  ;  and  that  both  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  Fort  McHenry,  where  friends  were  min- 
istering to  their  comfort  in  every  way  that  sym- 
pathy could  suggest.  I  need  scarcely  tell  you  of 
the  prayers  of  gratitude  which  were  offered  up, 
and  of  the  joy  which  reigned. in  my  father's  heart 
and  house  on  that  occasion  ;  for  it  was  as  if  the 
very  portals  of  the  grave  had  been  opened,  and 
the  dead  had  arisen  and  come  forth  "to  w^alk 
with  living  men  again."  My  brothers  were  ex- 
changed after  many  months  of  captivity,  and 
-an  examination  of  Crittenden's  wounds  revealed 
the  fact  that  five  conical  balls  had  entered  his 
body,  one  of  which  had  passed  entirely  through 
the  upper  lobe  of  the  right  lung.  According 
to  his  account,  when  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  enemy's  line,  he  seized  the  colors  from  the 
hands  of  a  dying  sergeant,  and  with  his  first 
step  forward  received  what  seemed  to  him  a  fear- 
fnl  blow  in  the  breast,  and  he  fell  senseless  to 
the  ground.  He  knew  nothing  more  until  he 
was  aroused  by  the  rough  shake  of  a  Federal 
i5oldier,  who,  seeing  that  life  was  not  extinct,  gave 
him  a  drink  of  water,  placed  his  cap  under  his 
head  as  a  pillow,  and  muttering,  "Poor  boy,  this 
is  the  last  of  you,"  went  forward  to  his  dat3^     He 


18  A  doctor's  experiences 

then  lapsed  into  a  state  of  unconsciousness,  which 
finally  passed  into  a  dream  of  the  charge  so  vivid 
and  real  that  it  seemed  that  he  was  for  hours 
storming  the  enemy's  line  with  balls  whistling 
and  shells  bursting  and  comrades  falling  around 
him,  while  his  chest  felt  as  if  it  were  encircled  with 
an  iron  band  which  interfered  with  respiration  and 
almost  deprived  him  of  the  power  of  speech. 
When  he  came  to  himself  again  it  was  in  the 
early  morning,  and  a  group  of  surgeons  were 
standing  about  him  while  oYie  was  examining  his 
wounds,  who,  seeing  that  he  had  regained  con- 
sciousness, asked  his  name,  told  him  to  prepare  for 
death  as  his  wounds  were  mortal,  and  said  to  him  : 
"  I  know  your  brother  by  reputation,  and  if  you 
have  any  last  message  to  send  to  your  family  tell 
it  to  me,  and  I  will  have  it  delivered  in  time.  My 
heart  bleeds  for  you  and  yours,  my  poor  boy. "  ' '  Say 
to  them  at  home,"  gasped  the  dear  fellow,  "that 
I  tried  to  do  my  duty,  and  tell  my  mother  " — here 
he  lost  consciousness  again,  and  was  unable  ta 
complete  the  sentence.  Although  the  surgeons  re- 
garded the  case  as  desperate,  they  did  not  leave 
him  to  die  alone  in  the  grass  where  he  had  fallen,  but 
they  had  him  carefully  lift^  into  an  ambulance  and 
transported  to  the  nearest  field- nospital,  where  he 
was  placed  under  a  shelter  hastily  improvised  of 
fence-rails,  and  given  food,  stimulants,  and  an 
opiate — the  jolting  of  the  vehicle  over  the  newly- 
ploughed  field  having  restored  him  to  conscious- 
ness, and  caused  him  the  most  intense  suffering. 
During  the  night  a  new  peril  presented  itself:  the 
stream  which  ran  through  the  hospital  suddenly 
swelled  beyond  its  borders,  and  with  resistless 
impetus  swept  a  large  number  of  the  wounded  to 
destruction.  He,  fortunately,  was  just  beyond  the 
invaded  area  and  was  saved,  while  one  of  his  own 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  19^ 

men — a  poor  lacl  reared  near  my  plantation  in- 
North  Carolina — who  lay  wounded  and  helpless  by 
his  side,  was  swept  away  by  the  flood.  As  he  did 
not  die,  he  was  removed  after  a  few  days  to  a  divi- 
sion hospital,  which  was  well  constructed  and 
abundantly  supplied.  Here  he  was  allowed  two 
slightly  wounded  men  from  his  own  company  as 
nurses,  supplied  liberally  with  nutritious  soup  and 
good  bread,  and  given  a  dose  of  morphia  every 
night  at  bed  time  ;  but  his  wounds  were  not  dressed, 
and  his  bloody  and  matted  clothing  was  never 
changed  until  he  was  discovered  and  taken  charge 
of  by  my  brother,  Dr.  L.  P.  Warren,  more  than  two 
weeks  after  the  battle.  There  was  no  intentional 
inhumanity  in  this,  for  in  every  other  respect  he 
was  kindly  treated,  but  it  resulted  simply  from  the 
fact,  that  when  brought  from  the  field  he  was 
placed  on  the  list  of  the  ''mortally  wounded,"  and 
as  surgeons  were  scarce  and  wounded  men  abund- 
ant, he  was  left  to  die  in  peace  without  the  addi- 
tional pang  of  a  surgical  dressing.  This  view 
of  the  case  proved  "a  blessing  in  disguise" — was 
a  circumstance  so  fortunate  in  itself  and  in  its 
consequences  as  to  bear  the  aspect  of  a  special  dis- 
pensation— for  the  lung  wound,  consequently, 
sealed  itself  hermetically^  while  the  non-interven- 
tion of  the  doctors  perpetuated  that  condition  of 
quiescence  which  was  most  favorable  to  its  cicatriza- 
tion. 

My  brother,  Dr.  L.  P.  Warren,  tells  me,  that 
after  he  had  given  his  services  to  all  of  the  wounded 
who  had  been  left  in  his  charge,  he  obtained  per- 
mission to  visit  the  Federal  hospitals,  hoping  to 
find  something  to  do  in  the  way  of  rendering  as- 
sistance to  such  of  the  Southern  wounded  as  might, 
perchance,  have  been  received  in  them.  He  had 
heard,  too,  of  the  death  of  his  brother,  but  there 


20  A  doctor's  experiexces 

still  lingered  in  his  bosom  a  liope  of  finding  him 
alive,  and  of  being  the  instrument  of  his  rescue  and 
return. 

He  was  making  his  final  visit,  and  had  passed 
the  last  ward,  when  he  suddenly  heard  his  name 
called  and  saw,  running  toward  him.  two  soldiers 
whom  he  recognized  as  having  belonged  to  the  52d 
North  Carolina  Regiment.  In  a  moment  they  had 
embraced  him,  and  were  dragging  him  toward* a 
little  hut  near  by,  ci'ying  out  :  "The  Lieutenant 
is  not  quite  dead.  Come,  for  Grod's  sake,  and  save 
him."  Upon  entering  the  pavilion  he  saw  u])on 
a  rude  couch  the  form  of  a  human  being,  attenu- 
ated, wan,  with  sunken  cheeks  and  lusterless  eyes, 
apparently  in  the  throes  of  death,  which  he  recog- 
nized to  be  that  of  his  brother,  so  long  lost  and  so 
deeply  mourned — the  dear  boy  over  whom  a  stricken 
household  far  away  in  the  South  was  shedding  its 
bitterest  tears,  and,  like  Rachel  of  old,  refusing  to 
be  comforted. 

Imagine,  my  dear  Doctor,  if  you  can,  what  were 
the  feelings  of  these  two  brothers  when  they  thus 
met  in  that  distant  land,  remote  from  friends  and 
kindred,  the  one  supposing  that  the  clods  already 
covered  the  remains  of  him  he  loved  so  well,  and 
the  other  believing  that  he  would  never  behold  the 
face  or  hear  the  voice  of  any  one  from  home  again. 
Surely  a  scene  more  touching  than  this  was  never 
witnessed  by  mortal  man,  and  the  rough  soldiers 
around  them  bowed  their  heads  in  silent  awe,  and 
wept  like  children. 

After  many  weary  days  of  anxiety  and  watching, 
Llewellyn  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  the 
wounds  heal  kindly,  the  wasted  frame  grow  com- 
paratively strong,  and  the  blanched  cheek  lose  its 
pallor  and  glow  with  the  hues  of  health  again.  In  a 
word,   the  boy's  life    was  saved  ;    and  though  for 


I 


IN    THKEE    CONTINENTS.  21 

years  he  felt  the  effects  of  his  wounds,  he  is  now  a 
healthy  and  vigorous  man — as  splendid  a  specimen 
of  physical  development  as  can  be  found  in  the 
South. 

This  incident  with  its  alternations  of  despair  and 
hope,  its  vicissitudes  of  sorrow  and  satisfaction, 
though  crowned  in  the  end  with  all  that  could  be 
conceived  of  happiness,  proved  too  great  a  strain 
upon  my  father's  nerves,  and  initiated  the  under- 
mining of  his  once  vigorous  system.  It  was  not 
long  afterward  that  I  noticed  an  occasional  inter- 
mittencein  his  pulse,  anda  pronounced  development 
of  the  arcus  senilis,  while  a  condition  of  despond- 
ency became  the  fixed  habit  of  his  mind,  and  several 
severe  attacks  of  malarial  fever  ensued,  which  still 
further  exhausted  his  vitality.  ' 

1  wish  you  could  have  seen  him  in  his  prime — 
in  the  full  swing  of  his  powers,  and  the  flood  tide 
of  his  success.  As  you  did  not  have  that  pleasure, 
and  as  the  contemplation  of  his  gifts  and  virtues  is 
always  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  me/  you  will 
pardon,  I  feel  assured,  a  brief  sketch  of  him  here — 
you  will  permit  me  to  reproduce  upon  these  pages 
the  outlines,  at  least,  of  the  picture  which  an  ardent 
love,  conjoined  with  the  most  profound  respect, 
has  painted  upon  the  tablets  of  my  memory. 

His  father,  Edward  Warren,  for  whom  I  was 
named,  was  a  lawyer  of  distinction  and  a  gentle- 
man of  the  highest  standing.  He  was  regarded, 
in  fact,  as  the  leader  of  the  bar  in  his  section  of 
Virginia,  and  he  several  times  represented  Charles 
City  County  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  having 
been  elected  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  constitu- 
ency— which,  in  that  land  of  politics  and  partisans, 
was  a  very  high  compliment.  He  unfortunately 
died  young,  leaving  to  his  wife  the  task  of  rearing 
and   educating    his    four    children,    the    eldest  of 


22  A  doctor's  experiences 

whom   was  William   Christian,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch . 

His  mother  belonged  to  the  Christian  family  of 
Virginia,  and  she  well  illustrated  the  sterling  vir- 
tues and  decided  opinions  for  which  it  has  long 
been  distinguished.  How  faithfully  she  discharged 
this  duty  is  established  alike  by  the  sentiment  of 
love  and  reverence  with  which  she  inspired  her 
children,  and  by  the  reputation  which  each  one  of 
them  established  in  after  life  for  honor  and  probity 
in  all  relations.  I  well  remember  my  visits  to 
Oreenway — the  seat  of  the  family — when  a  child, 
and  of  the  awe  and  love  with  which  I  regarded  her. 
Scrupulously  neat  in  dress  :  tall  and  stately  in  per- 
son ;  observing  the  strictest  decorum  and  etiquette 
herself,  and  exacting  the  same  from  others  ;  grave 
and  reserved  to  the  last  degree,  but  never  morose 
or  fault-finding  :  with  a  countenance  upon  which 
neither  a  smile  nor  a  tear  ever  lingered  ;  and  the 
embodiment  alike  of  superlative  dignity  of  char- 
acter and  of  extreme  kindness  of  heart,  her  pres- 
ence and  her  manner  frightened  me  nearly  out  of 
my  wits,  while  her  tenderness  and  consideration 
called  out  my  warmest  affection. 

My  father  being  her  eldest  child,  she  looked  upon 
him  as  the  future  prop  of  the  house,  and  she  took 
especial  pains  to  indoctrinate  him  with  her  own 
high  principles,  and  to  give  him  a  thorough  educa- 
tion. So  great  was  his  respect  for  her  that  he  ac- 
cepted her  teachings  without  questioning,  while 
the  desire  to  please  her  became  and  continued  the 
ruling  principle  of  his  life. 

It  is  not  surprising  that,  with  such  a  mother,  his 
bosom  should  have  become  the  nursery  of  all  that 
gives  dignity  to  human  nature,  and  that  he  should 
have  developed  into  the  splendid  gentleman  he  was, 
and  which  all  who  knew  him  recognized  him  to  be. 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  23 

He  stood  about  six  feet  in  his  shoes,  and,  though 
not  stout,  was  well  proportioned  and  very  graceful ; 
he  was  as  erect  as  a  Lombardy  poplar,  and  his  car- 
riage was  that  of  a  trained  soldier  ;  he  always  ap- 
peared neat  and  well  clad,  displaying,  in  fact,  great 
taste  in  the  matter  of  dress  and  personal  adorn- 
ment ;  he  was  especially  fond  of  dogs  and  horses — 
as  all  Virginians  are — and  he  prized  only  those  of 
the  best  blood  and  the  finest  appearance  ;  he  was 
brave  to  a  fault,  and  as  chivalrous  as  any  knight  of 
the  olden  time  ;  he  was  the  soul  of  generosity,  and 
the  latch-string  was  always  on  the  outside  of  his 
hospitable  door  ;  he  loved  his  family  to  idolatry 
and  was  the  mostfaithful  and  loyal  of  friends ;  he  was 
a  diligent  student,  keeping  himself  always  cm  cour- 
mit  with  the  progress  of  his  profession,  and  his 
fondness  for  general  literature  was  extraordinary 
for  one  so  occupied  with  business  ;  he  was  a  man 
of  strong  feelings,  and  in  his  early  years  he  could 
not  bring  himself  to  bear  the  semblance  of  an  af- 
front, but  later  on,  when  his  heart  had  been  wrung 
by  affliction,  a  great  change  occurred  in  this  re- 
gard, and  he  became  a  devout  and  consistent  Chris- 
tian ;  and  he  was  truly  a  great  physician — per- 
fectly posted,  a  keen  observer,  remembering  every- 
thing he  had  seen  and  read,  with  a  cool  head  and 
a  warm  heart,  wedded  to  no  dogma,  absorbed  in  his 
mission,  indifferent  to  praise  or  censure,  and  abso- 
lutely self-reliant ;  he  entered  the  chamber  of  sick-  • 
ness  with  the  manner  of  a  master,  the  mien  of  a 
friend,  and  the  bearing  of  a  gentleman,  inspiiing 
his  patient  at  once  with  faith  and  hope,  and  show- 
ing in  the  treatment  of  the  case  a  capacity  fur 
analysis,  a  genius  in  diagnosis,  and  a  fecundity  of 
resource,  which  have  rarely  had  their  equal  in  the 
profession. 

Alike  in  Tyrrell,  where  he  commenced  his  career, 


24  A  doctor's  experiexces 

iu  Edenton,  where  for  so  many  years  he  devoted 
himself  to  his  calling,  and  in  Lynchburg,  where 
his  latter  days  were  spent,  his  character  as  a  man 
and  his  qualifications  as  a  physician  were  appreci- 
ated in  the  manner  and  to  the  extent  that  I  have 
indicated.  No  man,  in  fact,  was  ever  brought  into 
intimate  relations  w4th  my  father  without  realizing 
that  his  ideas  of  human  excellence  had  been  given 
a  broader  range  and  a  higher  development. 

On  the  occasion  of  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Lynchburg,  Virginia,  in  December,  1871,  business 
was  universally  suspended,  and  the  people  of  the 
place,  without  distinction  of  race  or  color,  followed 
his  remains  to  their  final  resting  place  ;  while,  in 
the  language  of  a  contemporary  journal,  ^' every 
tongue  proclaimed  :  Well  done  thou  good  and 
faithful  servant!  And  all  realized  that  there  was 
buried  that  day  a  noble  specimen  of  the  old  Vir- 
ginia gentleman." 

To  the  children  of  such  a  man  his  memory  must 
remain  fresh  and  green  forever,  must  prove  a  leg- 
acy more  precious  far  than  "titles  or  estates,"  and 
an  inspiration  to  high  thoughts  and  honorable 
lives,  to  wliich  their  hearts  can  but  respond  in  the 
fullest  measure  to  their  last  pulsations. 

You  know  that  I  am  no  believer  in  the  super- 
natural, and  yet  I  must  confess  that  tioice  in  my 
life  I  have  permitted  myself  to  be  influenced  by 
dreams  in  deciding  cjuestions  of  importance.  To 
one  of  these  instances  I  will  refer  in  this  connection, 
and  will  reserve  the  other  for  a  diiferent  place  in 
these  memoirs. 

In  January,  1873^  I  received,  through  General 
Sherman,  the  offer  of  a  position  in  the  Egyptian 
army.  Although  I  had  sought  this  position,  yet, 
when  the  offer  really  came,  I  was  greatly  per- 
plexed as  to  w^hether  or  not  to  accept  it.     After 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  25 

debating  the  question  with  myself  throughout  the 
day,  I  retired  to  rest  in  a  very  excited  and  uncer- 
tain state  of  mind.  For  a  long  time  sleep  was  an 
impossibility,  but  finally,  as  day  dawned  I  lost 
consciousness  for  a  brief  period  and  sank  into  an, 
uneasy  slumber,  from  which  I  awakened  suddenly^ 
gi'eatly  impressed  by  a  very  vivid  and  protracted 
dream. 

It  seemed  that  I  was  in  the  old  mansion  at  Eden- 
ton  when  my  father — who  had  then  been  dead  for 
more  than  two  years— came  into  my  room  and  asked 
me  to  walk  with  him,  as  he  wished  ''to  discuss  the 
Egyptian  question."  Apparently,  we  walked  and 
talked  for  several  hours,  and  then  returned  to  the 
house  with  the  matter  still  undecided.  He  urged 
me  to  accept  the  offer,  and  used  every  possible  ar- 
gument to  convince  me  of  the  wisdom  of  the  change, 
and  finally  he  said,  in  decided  and  solemn  tones: 
"My  son,  I  command  you  to  go."  These  words 
settled  the  matter,  and  I  completed  my  arrange- 
ments and  took  my  departure,  possessed  by  the 
idea  that  in  some  way  I  was  gratifying  my  father. 
At  any  rate  it  turned  out  "for  the  best;"  it  proved 
a  new  departure  in  the  direction  of  prosperity  and 
success,  and  but  for  the  profound  impression  pro- 
duced by  this  dream,  or  coincidence,  or  whatever  it 
may  be  called,  I  should  have  remained  in  Balti- 
more, enjoying  the  pleasure  of  your  society,  it  is 
true,  but  wasting  my  life  in  college  broils  and  pro- 
fessional rivalries. 

Of  course,  believers  in  spiritualism  would  find 
an  immediate  explanation  of  this  incident,  but  hav- 
ing no  faith  in  their  creed,  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  accept  their  conclusions.  What  do  you  think 
about  it? 

My  skepticism  in  this  connection  will  not  sur- 
prise you  after  I  have  related  my  subsequent  ex- 


26  A  doctor's  experiences 

periences  with  spiritualism,  or  ratlier,  after  I  have 
recalled  to  your  mind  certain  incidents  about  which 
I  have  talked  to  you  by  the  hour  in  other  days. 

Some  years  since  I  went  to  the  house  of  a  gen- 
tleman of  prominence  in  Baltimore — who  was  then 
completely  carried  away  with  this  "new  revela- 
tion"— to  witness  certain  "manifestations,"  which 
he  assured  me  would  be  patent  and  conclusive. 
The  company  consisted  of  about  a  dozen  persons, 
and  we  were  invited  into  a  darkened  room,  given 
seats  around  a  circular  table,  and  asked  to  clasp 
hands  so  as  to  "complete  the  circuit,"  and  to  re- 
main perfectly  silent.  After  a  short  delay  our  old 
friend  Weaver,  the  undertaker,  who,  it  seems,  af- 
fected great  faith  in  spiritualism  and  frequented  all 
of  its  circles,  suddenly  arose  from  his  seat,  gesticu- 
lating wildly  and  uttering  a  strange  shriek,  which 
we  were  told  was  a  "war-whoop,"  and  indicated 
that  he  was  possessed  by  the  "spirit  of  an  Indian." 
The  lights  were  turned  on,  and  an  effort  was  made 
to  ascertain  the  name  of  the  particular  savage  who 
was  thus  exciting  to  frenzy  the  burly  body  of  the 
coffin-maker.  One  suggested  Powhatan,  another 
Billy  Bowlegs,  another  Tecumseh,  and  so  on  until 
the  entire  roll  of  notorious  Indians  was  called  over ; 
but  there  was  a  negative  shake  of  the  head  at  each 
name  suggested,  while  the  gesticulations  became 
more  frantic  and  the  so-called  ' '  war-whoop ' '  grew 
longer  and  louder.  Finally  an  idea  struck  me,  for 
I  had  become  greatly  exercised  in  regard  to  the 
identity  of  the  unfortunate  redskin  who  was  trying 
to  give  expression  to  his  sentiments  in  the  gyra- 
tions and  yells  of  the  medium,  and  I  boldly  asked, 
"Is  it  the  great  Blennerhasset^  "  A  smile  of  sat- 
isfaction illuminated  the  countenance  -of  the  de- 
lighted Weaver;  a  wild  "Yah!  Yah!  Yah!"  of 
assent  substituted  itself  for  the  angry  and  defiant 


ii 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  27 

war-whoop,"^  and  the  secret  was  disclosed — the 

great  unknown  "  stood  revealed.  The  genial  and 
gentle  Blennerhasset — he  ''whose  shrubbery  a 
Shenstone  might  have  envied,"  and  over  whose 
misfortunes  so  many  tears  have  been  shed — was 
the  "untamed"  Indian  whose  spirit  had  mani- 
fested itself  in  the  flesh  of  the  undertaker.  The 
host  and  his  guests,  all  true  believers,  never  "saw 
the  point"  or  had  the  slightest  suspicion  of  its  ex- 
istence ;  and  while  the}^  were  devoting  themselves  to 
reciprocal  congratulations  over  the  facts  of  spirit- 
ualism as  thus  revealed  and  were  questioning  tlie 
savage,  through  his  chosen  medium,  concerning 
tomahawks,  scalping-knives,  and  war-dances',  I 
slipped  away,  anything  but  a  converted  man. 

You  remember  our  friend,  William  H.  Owens, 
who  frequently  represented  his  ward  in  the  city 
council,  and  whose  untimely  death  by  apoplexy  we 
both  deplored.  Well,  the  poor  fellow  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  only  son — a  beautiful  boy  about 
ten  years  of  age — shortly  after  the  war,  and  at  first 
it  nearly  broke  his  heart.  He  sought  consolation, 
however,  in  spiritualism,  and  he  found  it,  for  he 
became  convinced  that  the  spirit  of  his  son  was  in 
constant  communication  with  him.  He  assured  me 
that  he  could  realize  his  presence,  and  hear  his 
voice  as  plainly  as  he  had  ever  done  in  life.  He, 
consequently,  became  perfectly  tranquil  and  re- 
signed, because,  as  he  said  to  me-:  "  the  fate  of  the 
dear  little  fellow  is  settled.  He  can  never  suffer 
pain  or  sickness  again,  and  he  tells  me  that  he  is 
perfectly  happy." 

In  all  other  respects  he  seemed  entirely  rational, 
while  this  delusion  was  to  him  an  absolute  reality. 
Some  years  afterward,  as  you  well  know,  I  suf- 
fered a  similar  calamity,  and  was  in  utter  despair. 
Owens  immediately  came  to  my  house,  and  insisted 


28  A  doctor's  EXPEHIE^'CES 

that  I  should  rejoice  rather  than  weep^  assuring  me 
that  lie  had  positive  inforniation  from  his  son  that 
my  dear  boy  was  happy,  and  spent  his  time  at  my 
side,  telling  me  ''not  to  cry  for  him,"  but  that  I 
could  not  hear  his  voice  because  I  did  not  believe 
in  spiritual  manifestations.  Grod  alone  will  ever 
know  how  my  heart  leaped  at  these  words.  ''  Be- 
lieve," said  I ;  "if  you  will  only  give  me  the  slight- 
est proof  upon  which  I  can  hang  a  belief — let  me 
hear  a  single  word  from  my  son — I  shall  worship 
you  to  the  end  of  my  days." 

"I  don't  want  that,  but  I  would  like  to  help 
you,"  he  answered,  very  quietly;  "and  I  give 
you  my  word  that  you  shall  have  a  communica- 
tion from  him  which  will  convince  you  of  the 
truth  of  what  I  have  told  you.  Only  wait  for 
two  weeks,  and  I  will  take  you  to  a  person  who 
will  be  the  medium  of  this  conversation.". 

I  was  amazed,  bewildered  crazed,  by  these  words, 
coming  as  they  did  from  a  man  whom  I  knew  to  be 
honest,  and  to  believe  what  he  said ;  and  I  waited  for 
his  coming  with  feelings  such  as  those  which  the  apos- 
tles must  have  experienced  when  they  watched  for  the 
resurrection  of  their  Lord.  Finally  he  came,  and 
took  me  to  a  house  in  Courtland  street,  near  Pleas- 
ant, where  we  were  ushered  into  a  darkened  room, 
and  I  was  presented  to  a  female  reclining  upon  a  sofa, 
apparently  just  issuing  from  a  fit  of  catalepsy,  or 
hysteria,  or  something  else. 

"This  lady,"  said  my  friend,  "is  a  reliable 
medium."  She  has  just  arrived  in  Baltimore,  and 
I  have  purposely  avoided  telling  her  your  history, 
but  you  can  place  implicit  faith  in  anything  that 
she  may  say  to  you.  He  then  withdrew,  and  left 
us  alone,  she  apparently  oblivious  to  what  was  going 
on  around  her,  and  /  in  a  state  of  excitement 
borderino;  on  insanity. 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  *  29 

After  a  delay  of  some  moments  she  seemed  to  re- 
cover consciousness,  and  to  become  aware  of  my 
presence,  when,  in  response  to  her  stare  of  suprise 
and  inquiry,  I  said  to  her:  "  Madam,  I  am  not  an 
idle  intruder,  but  an  anxious  inquirer  ;  I  wish  to 
communicate  with  the  spirit  of  one  most  dearly 
loved.     Can  you  aid  me  in  doing  so?" 

She  rolled  up  her  eyes  until  their  whites  alone 
were  visible,  swayed. her  body  to  and  fro,  and  an- 
swered, "Yes,  I  can  help  you,  for  the  spirit  of  the 
Moved  one'  wishes  earnestly  to  speak  to  you." 

''  What  message  have  you  for  me?  Tell  me  at 
once,  I  entreat  you,"  said  I,  hardly  able  to  con- 
tain myself. 

"Your  sainted  mo^/ier  bids  me  to  say  to  you," 
she  began. 

"My  mother,  madam!"  I  exclaimed,  "She  is 
alive  and  well." 

"Ah!  excuse  my  inattention,  "Your  sainted 
father  requests  me,"  she  resumed. 

^'  M.J  father,  madam!"  I  cried  out,  "he  is  in 
perfect  health — and  the  truth  is,  you  are  either  an 
utter  fraud  or  you  are  hopelessly  drunk,"  and  I 
precipitately  left  the  room,  cursing  the  fatuity 
which  had  induced  me  to  ignore  the  suggestions 
of  common  sense,  and  to  place  myself  in  a  position 
thus  to  have  the  most  sacred  sentiments  of  my 
heart  trampled  upon  and  mocked  at  by  a  lunatic 
upon  the  one  side  and  an  impostor  on  the  other. 

I  did  not  stop  in  my  hurried  flight  to  explain 
matters  to  poor  Owens,  who  waited  below  to  receive 
my  thanks  and  to  hear  my  confession  of  faith  ;  and, 
when  I  next  heard  of  him,  he  had  fallen  in  a  fit  of 
apoplexy,  and  had  died  without  a  struggle.  It  is  evi- 
dent that,  in  this  regard,  he  was  insane — that  he 
was  a  thorough-paced  maniac  on  the  subject  of 
spiritualism. 


30  A  doctor's  experiences 

I  said  in  the  premises  that  I  was  a  skeptic  in  this 
regard,  and  I  am  sure  yon  will  agree  with  me  that^ 
after  such  experiences  as  these — the  one  essentially 
ridiculous,  and  the  other  so  inexpressibly  painful — 
I  have  good  grounds  for  my  want  of  faith  in  this 
heresy. 

My  youngest  daughter,  to  whom  I  have  just  read 
these  pages,  says  that  the  good  Lord  sent  the 
dream  and  put  my  father  into  it  in  order  to  guide 
me  into  the  right  path  in  regard  to  the  Egyptian 
proposition,  and  that  the  spirits  had  nothing  to  da 
with  the  matter.  In  a  word,  her  idea — expressed 
in  more  technical  language — is  that  it  was  a  Provi- 
dential interposition,  and  not  a  spiritualistic  mani- 
festation, which  may  be  the  true  explanation,  for 
what  vve  know  to  the  contrary.  At  any  rate,  it  is  a 
sagacious  discrimination  upon  the  part  of  a  little 
girl — the  child  that  you  so  skillfully  brought  into 
the  world  some  twelve  years  since— and  it  shows 
as  well  that  the  seeds  of  faith  and  trust,  which  her 
mother  sought  to  plant  in  her  youthful  heart,  were 
not  wasted  and  are  germinating  there.  God  grant 
that  their  roots  may  grow  stronger  and  sink  deeper 
continually,  and  that  no  adverse  storm  may  ever 
disturb  their  firm  hold  upon  her  gentle  nature. 

I  have  traveled  far  and  seen  much,  and  suf- 
fered greatly,  but  the  longer  I  live  and  the  more 
comprehensive  my  experience  becomes  the  greater 
is  ray  faith  in  religion,  and  the  stronger  is  my  con- 
viction of  its  necessity  alike  for  the  happiness  of 
the  individual,  the  stability  of  society,  and  the 
welfare  of  the  world. 

I  make  it  a  point  to  seize  the  first  opportunity 
which  presents  itself  in  these  memoirs,  thus  clearly 
and  decidedly  to  express  myself  upon  this  import- 
ant subject,  because  infidelit}^  seems  to  have  be- 
come the  prevailing  fashion  of  the  times,  and  the 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  31 

special  boast  of  our  profession  ;  and  I  desire  to 
place  upon  record  my  sentiments  and  opinions  in 
this  regard,  and  to  leave  them  as  a  legacy  to  my 
children,  as  a  souvenir  to  my  friends  and  as  a  les- 
son to  my  enemies,  with  the  hope  that  all  may 
profit  by  them.  The  man  whose  profession  brings 
Mm  for  a  lifetime  into  daily  contact  witii  the  mis- 
fortunes of  humanity,  must  take  refuge  either  in  a 
profound  callousness,  which  refuses  to  look  beyond 
itself  and  dwarfs  his  character  and  contracts  his 
intellect  until  a  condition  of  mingled  selfishness 
and  incapacity  is  reached,  or  in  an  exalted  faith 
which  seeks  the  "  final  cause  "  of  its  surroundings, 
and  through  it  attains  to  the  idea  of  future  retri- 
bution and  of  Grod's  final  justice  and  loving  kind- 
ness. He  is  compelled  to  attribute  the  harrowing 
scenes  with  which  he  is  thus  made  familiar  to  the 
fiat  of  a  being  who  possesses  either  the  qualities  of 
a  devil-seeking  vengeance,  or  the  attributes  of  a 
God  having  as  a  purpose  the  ultimate  rectification 
of  a  work  which  he  is  compelled  to  do  in  the 
vindication  of  his  governmental  policy. 


32  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER   11. 

MY  MOTHEE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

It  is  natural  to  respect  a  self-made  man — one 
who,  without  the  advantage  of  family  or  fortune, 
rises  by  the  force  of  his  own  character  and  genius 
to  the  level  of  those  who  originally  were  his  supe- 
riors. The  founder  of  a  house  really  deserves  and 
certainlycommands  as  much  of  the  world's  esteem  as 
the  descendant,  who,  by  the  mere  accident  of  birth, 
inherits  it  with  its  Lares  and  Penates.  He  who  fal- 
lows and  sows  is  universally  regarded  as  the  equal, 
at  least,  of  him  who  reaps  and  garners. 

It  is  perfectly  legitimate  that  success  in  the  ac- 
cumnlation  of  wealth,  or  the  attainment  of  posi- 
tion, or  the  acquisition  of  honors  should  engender 
an  honest  pride  in  the  bosom  of  the  man  who  has 
commanded  it — of  him  who  has  conquered  the 
adverse  circumstances  of  his  lot,  and,  in  despite  of 
opposing  obstacles,  has  attained  the  realization  of 
his  hopes  and  reached  the  summit  of  his  ambition. 
And  yet,  my  dear  doctor,  there  is  a  principle  in 
every  man's  heart  which  prompts  him  to  glory  in 
the  fact  that  his  ancestors  were  men  of  recognized 
ability  and  standing  ;  that  the  blood  which  cir- 
culates in  his  veins  has  been  refined  and  purified 
by  having  flowed  through  those  of  a  race  of  gentle- 
men. Nothing  is  more  gratifying  to  human  pride 
or  more  elevating  to  human  character  than  to  be 
able  to  trace  back  one's  forefathers  through  succes- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  33 

sive  generationsofnnqiiestioned  probity  and  recog- 
nized position.  The  humblest  representative  of 
distinguished  progenitors  can  but  feel  a  tide  of 
satisfaction  rise  high  in  the  bosom  when  he  reflects 
upon  his  connection  with  them,  and  he  intuitively 
seeks  to  follow  their  example  and  to  transmit  the 
name  which  he  bears,  and  they  have  honored,  still 
unstained  to  posterity. 

It  is  true  that  success  sometimes  makes  a  fool  of 
the  individual  who  has  achieved  it.  The  pride  to 
which  he  is  entitled  because  of  his  victory  over 
an  adverse  fate,  degenerates  into  a  contemptible 
vanity;  he  thinks  that  he  has  ''the  world  in  a 
sling;"  he  affects  the  style  of  the  peacock  with  the 
same  mode  of  manifestation  ;  his  proportions  swell 
beyond  the  capacity  of  his  tailor's  measurement 
a,nd  estimate  ;  his  alphabet  loses  all  its  letters  save 
one  and  that  is  a  personal  pronoun  ;  his  supercilious- 
ness overrides  all  rules  alike  of  propriety  and  of 
g(^od-breeding  ;  he  ignores  the  ladder  by  which  he 
has  ascended  to  his  new  position,  and  claims  it  by 
virtue  of  some  prescriptive  right  or  inherent  des- 
ignation ;  and  he  assumes  an  air  of  superiority 
and  a  style  of  grandeur  which  make  him  a  butt  to 
society,  a  terror  to  his  friends,  and  a  disgrace  to 
his  kind.  I  have  seen  many  such  "on  their 
travels,"  and  as  they  assumed  to  be  representatives 
of  the  supreme  social  development  of  America, 
and  the  most  exalted  type  of  manhood  among 
their  countrymen,  they  have  made  me  wish  a 
thousand  times  over  that  shoddyism  was  a  peniten- 
tiary offense  at  home,  and  that  '^  les  nouveaux 
riches"  were  compelled  by  a  law  of  Congress  to 
confine  themselves  to  their  native  shores.  Fortu- 
nately, this  variety  of  the  self-made  man  is  the  ex- 
ception and  not  the  rule,  and  the  disgust  and  con- 
tempt which  it  inspires   should   not  detract  from 


34  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  honor  and  the  respect  so  properly  clue  to  those 
who  have  honestly  and  really  elevated  themselves 
to  commanding  positions  in  life,  and  who  have  the 
wisdom  to  understand  their  surroundings  and  to 
appreciate  their  antecedents. 

I  know,  also,  that  there  are  scions  of  many  a 
nohle  house  who  are  by  nature  dwarfs  and  para- 
sites, and  whose  arrogant  assumptions  elicit  uni- 
versal contempt  and  disgust.  I  acknowledge,  too, 
that  ]3ride  of  birth  loses  all  of  its  dignity  and  pres- 
tige when  it  steps  a  hair's  breadth  beyond  its 
legitimate  limits — when  it  becomes  aught  else  than 
a  source  of  private  and  personal  gratification  be- 
cause of  the  inheritance  of  a  prouder  name  and  of 
bluer  blood  than  others,  and  an  incentive  to  walk 
in  the  path  which  illustrious  scions  "have  found 
or  have  made  "  for  their  descendants. 

It  has  been  under  the  influence  of  such  senti- 
ments as  these  that  I  have  spoken  of  my  father 
and  his  family,  and  it  is  in  response  to  the  sug- 
gestion of  similar  feelings  that  I  shall  now  give  you 
some  account  of  my  mother,  and  of  those  from 
whom  she  has  inherited  the  virtues  which  adorn 
her  character.  I  may  sj)eak  with  enthusiasm,  but 
it  is  the  enthusiasm  of  a  son  who  knows  and  aj)- 
preciates  "the  mother  who  bore  him,  "and  who 
has  loade  him  what  he  is,  or  rather,  has  taught 
him  what  he  should  be.  Thank* God!  she  still 
lives,  having  long  since  ^^assed  the  alloted  boundary 
of  human  existence,  with  an  intellect  upon  v/hich 
time  has  left  no  shadow,  and  a  heart  which  has 
only  grown  the  more  tender  and  loving  under  the 
strain  of  life's  trials  and  vicissitudes. 

She  was  born  at  Snowden,  the  ancient  seat  of  her 
family,  in  Stafford  County,  Virginia,  on  the  8th  of 
January,  1808.  Her  father  Avas  Thomas  Alexan- 
der, and  her  mother  Elizabeth  Innes,  the  daughter 


IN    THRER    CONTIXEXTS.  dO 

of  Judge  Harry  Innes,  of  Kentucky — each  belonging 
to  an  old  and  distinguished  family.  Thomas 
Alexander  was  the  great  grandson  of  John  Alexan- 
der, whose  father  was  William  Alexander,  of 
Menstrie,  Scotland.  This  remarkable  man  be- 
longed to  the  family  of  the  Macdonalds,  Lords  of 
the  Isles,  and  his  career  was  a  most  distinguished 
one.  He  was  knighted  by  King  James,  and 
granted  the  entire  territory  of  Nova  Scotia  in  1 621  ; 
he  was  sworn  in  of  the  privy  council,  and  appointed 
Secretary  of  State,  in  1626  ;  he  was  made  keeper 
of  the  signet  in  1627  ;  he  was  given  charters  of 
the  lordship  of  Canada,  and  made  a  commissioner 
of  the  exchequer,  in  1628;  he  was  created  Lord 
Alexander  of  Tullibody  in  1630  ;  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  extra  lords  of  session  in  1631,  and  he  was 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  Earl  of  Stirling  and  Viscount 
Canada,  by  patent  dated  June  14th,  1633.  As  a 
special  mark  of  his  sovereign's  confidence  and  favor, 
with  the  grant  of  Nova  Scotia  he  was  accorded 
permission  to  divide  the  Province  into  one  hundred 
parts  or  tracts,  and  to  dispose  of  each  of  them,  to- 
gether with  the  title  of  Baron — which  he  did, 
realizing  from  each  purchase  the  sum  of  two  hun- 
dred jjounds  sterling.  His  second  son,  John  Alex- 
ander, emigrated  to  the  colony  of  Virginia  in  1669, 
settled  in  Stafford  County,  and  purchased  the 
Howison  patent  of  land,  which  extended  from 
Georgetown  to  Hunting  Creek,  and  embraced  the 
site  of  Alexandria,  which  was  called  after  him. 
Brock,  in  the  admirable  "Becords  of  old  Virginia 
Families,"  which  he  lias  recently  published,  says 
of  this  one:  ''  Of  honored  American  families,  not 
one  was  more  early  or  has  been  more  continuously 
conspicuous  for  worth,  ability  and  essential  service 
toward  material  progress  and  general  enlighten- 
ment than  that  of  Alexander."     Indeed,  a  care- 


36  A  doctor's  experiences 

ful  examination  of  its  history  shows  that  among  its 
immediate  representatives  and  those  who  have  been 
connected  with  it  by  marriage  api^ear  the  names 
of  some  of  the  ablest  and  purest  men  that  our 
country  has  known,  and  that  not  one  of  its  members 
has  ever  reflected  dishonor  upon  his  name  and 
lineage. 

My  grandfather,  after  having  served  with  dis- 
tinction as  a  captain  in  the  War  of  1812,  retired 
to  liis  fine  estate  in  Henrico  County,  Virginia,  and 
died  at  a  comparatively  early  age,  leaving  his  wife 
with  four  daughters  to  mourn  his  loss.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  a  gentleman  of  thorough  education, 
of  an  unusually  handsome  person,  and  of  the  highest 
character. 

My  grandmother  was  the  daughter  of  Judge 
Harry  Innes,  first  of  Virginia  and  subsequently  of 
Kentucky  ;  and  I  ^till  speak  of  him  and  then  re- 
turn to  her,  as  I  Avant  you  to  know  something  of 
both  of  them. 

Some  weeks  since  I  was  visiting  a  patient  at  the 
Hotel  Chatham,  and,  in  coming  out,  I  turned  into 
the  Rue  Volney,  where  my  carriage  awaited  me. 
Just  before  stepping  into  it,  I  observed  a  bookstall 
wherein  many  old  volumes  were  exposed  for  sale, 
and  with  my  usual  curiosity  in  such  matters,  I 
turned  and  examined  them.  One  of  the  first  that 
attracted  my  attention  was  '/  Collins'  Kentucky," 
which  I  purchased,  as  I  knew  that  my  grandmother 
was  born  in  that  State,  and  I  hoped  to  obtain  some 
further  information  respecting  her  family.  My 
hopes  were  fully  realized,  for  I  found  in  it  a  sketch  of 
my  greatgrandfather.  Judge  Harry  Innes,  which  I 
shall  introduce  at  this  point,  so  that  you  may  know 
how  good  and  great  a  man  he  was  : 

"  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1752  in 
Caroline  County,  Virginia.      His  father,  the  Rev. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  3T 

Robert  Innes,  of  the  Episcopal  Churcli,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  and  married  Catherine  Richards,  of  Vir- 
ginia, by  whom  he  had  three  sons,  Robert,  Harry  and 
James.  The  eldest  was  a  physician,  and  Harry  and 
James  read  law  with  Mr.  Rose,  of  Virginia.  Harry 
was  a  schoolmate  of  the  late  President  Madison. 
James  was  attorney -general  of  Virginia,  and  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  debaters  in  the  convention  which 
adopted  the  present  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  During  the  administration  of  President 
Washington  he  was  deputed  to  Kentucky  as  a 
special  envoy  to  explain  to  Governor  Shelby  and 
the  Legislature  the  measures  in  progress  by  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  to  secure  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi. 

"In  1776-'7,  while  the  lead  mines  became  objects 
of  national  solicitude  and  public  care,  for  procur- 
ing a  supply  necessary  to  the  revolutionary  contest, 
.the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  employed  by  the 
committee  of  public  safety  in  Virginia  to  superin- 
tend the  workings  of  Chipril's  mines.  His  ability, 
zeal  and  fidelity  in  that  employment  commanded 
the  thanks  of  that  committee.  In  1779  he  was 
elected  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  a  commis- 
sioner to  hear  and  determine  the  claims  to  unpat- 
ented lands  in  the  district  including  Abingdon. 
That  duty  he  performed  to  public  satisfaction.  In 
1783  he  was  elected  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Courtfor  the  district 
of  Kentucky,  and  on  the  third  day  of  November  of 
that  year  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  com- 
mission at  Crow's  station,  near  Danville,  in  con- 
junction with  the  Hon.  Caleb  Wallace  and  Samuel 
McDowell.  In  1784  he  was  elected  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Virginia  attorney-general  for  the  district  of 
Kentucky,  in  the  place  of  Walker  Daniel,  who  fell 
a  victim  to'  the  savage  foe.     In  1785  he  entered 


38  A  doctor's  experiences 

upon  the  duties  of  that  office,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  he  was  appointed  in  1787  judge  of  the 
court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Kentucky  dis- 
trict, the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  until  his 
death  in  Septemher,  1816. 

"  Upon  the  erection  of  Kentucky  into  an  indepen- 
dent State  in  1792,  he  was  offered,  but  declined, 
the  office  of  chief  justice.  He  was  president  of  the 
first  electoral  college  for  the  choice  of  governor  and 
lieutenant-governor  under  the  first  constitution. 
In  April,  1790,  he  was  authorized  by  the  Secretary 
of  War — General  Knox — to  call  out  the  scouts  for 
the  protection  of  the  frontier  ;  and  in  1791  he  was 
associated  with  Scott,  Shelby,  Logan  and  Brown 
as  a  local  board  of  war  for  the  western  countj,  to 
call  out  the  militia  on  expeditions  against  the 
Indians,  in  conjunction  with  the  commanding  of- 
ficers of  the  United  States,  and  to  apportion  scouts 
through  the  exposed  tracts  of  the  district.  In  all 
these  responsible  capacities  the  conduct  of  Judge 
Innes  was  without  reproach,  and  raised  him  must 
deservedly  high  in  the  public  esteem,  and  he  re- 
ceived the  repeated  thanks  of  G-eneral  Washington 
for  the  discharge  of  high  trusts.  x\s  a  judge,  he 
was  patient  to  hear,  diligent  to  investigate,  and 
impartial  to  decide.  These  cjualities  were  especially 
requisite  in  his  position  as  the  sole  judge,  until 
1807,  of  the  court  of  the  United  States  for  the  dis- 
trict of  Kentucky,  whose  decisions  were  final,  un- 
less reversed  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  As  a  neighbor,  as  an  agriculturist,  and  as 
a  polished  gentleman,  in  all  the  relations  of  private 
and  social  life,  he  was  the  model  of  his  day  and 
generation.'"' 

His  brother,  the  Hon.  James  Innes,  was  not 
only  attorney-general  of  Virginia,  as  has  been  '  al- 
ready stated,  but  he  was  oftered  the  appointment 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  39 

of  Attorney-General  of  the  United  States  by  Gen- 
eral Washington  himself.  He  died  in  Philadel- 
phia, whither  he  had  gone  on  official  business,  in 
consequence  of  the  rupture  of  an  aneurism,  and  he 
lies  interred  in  Christ  Church  burying-ground  in 
that  city.  Mr.  Wirt  speaks  of  him  in  ''The  Life  of 
Patrick  Henry"  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  pro- 
nounces him  one  of  the  most  splendid  orators  of 
that  age  of  eloquence. 

Judge  Harry  Innes  married  first  Elizabeth  Cal- 
laway, of  Bedford  County,  Virginia,  who  died 
shortly  after  his  removal  to  Kentucky,  and  secondly 
Mrs.  Shields,  of  that  State.  My  grandmother  was 
one  of  the  four  daughters  who  were  the  issue  of  his 
first  marriage  ;  and  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  John  J. 
Crittenden  was  the  only  child  of  the  second.  Con- 
temporary historians  speak  in  the  most  flattering 
terms  of  the  virtues,  services  and  abilities  of  the 
various  I'epresentatives  of  the  Innes  family,  and  the 
record  shows  that  alike  as  private  gentlemen  and 
as  public  servants  their  lives  were  without  spot  or 
blemish. 

Among  my  first  recollections  of  my  grandmother 
Alexander  is  her  wedding — I  mean,  naturally,  her 
second  one — which  took  place  at  my  father's  house 
in  Edenton  when  I  was  a  "small  boy,"  and  cared 
far  more  for  the  "good  things"  with  which  the 
€vent  was  celebrated  than  for  the  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance of  being  a  witness  to  the  marriage  of  a 
grand-parent.  Subsequently  I  spent  the  summers 
of  many  years  at  her  residence  in  Campbell  County, 
Virginia,  and  my  mind  is  filled  with  the  most 
pleasant  memories  of  her  and  of  her  beautiful 
home,  Contentand  good  cheer  reigned  in  undisputed 
sway  beneath  her  hospitable  roof.  I  have  often  seen 
her  house  crowded  with  visitors,  who  came  and 
lingered   to  enjoy  the   "loving    cnp"   filled    with 


40  A  doctor's  experiences 

tempting  julep,  which  was  sent  with  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  every  guest ;  the  grand  breakfast  of  hot  rolls, 
loaf-bread,  batter-cakes,  muffins,  fried  chicken, 
broiled  ham,  boiled  eggs,  fresh  butter,  and  count- 
less other  delicacies  which  were  spread  out  at  eight 
a.  m.,  and  at  which  it  was  a  point  of  honor  to  be 
present;  the  pleasant  rambles  'mid  the  flowers  of 
the  lawn  and  the  oaks  of  the  grove  and  the  gi'ass 
of  the  meadows  ;  the  mighty  dinners  of  flesh 
and  fowl  of  every  variety  of  choicest  vegetables- 
from  the  garden,  and  richest  fruits  from  the  or- 
chard, supplemented  by  treasures  of  pickles  and 
sauces,  and  followed  by  a  profusion  of  cakes,  tarts, 
puddings,  ices,  and  plates  of  peaches  and  milk — 
milk  as  rich  as  the  rankest  of  clover  could  make  it, 
and  as  cold  as  the  ice-house  itself;  the  siesta  be- 
neath the  aspens  in  the  yard,  with  a  watermelon 
feast  as  its  finale;  the  tempting  suppers  of  fra- 
grant tea  and  aromatic  coffee  and  hot  biscuits  and 
crispy  waffles  and  steaming  batter-cakes  and  end- 
less sweetmeats,  which  were  served  by  a  crowd  of 
smiling  darkeys  with  the  twilight  shadows ;  and 
the  pleasant  reunion  in  the  drawing-room  at  night, 
with  its  genial  talk,  its  rich  jokes,  its  pleasant 
stories,  its  sweet  melodies,  and  its  old  Virginia 
reel  as  a  conclusion  to  the  day's  enjoyment. 

It  has  been  at  least  forty  years  since  I  visited  the 
^cene  of  all  this  hospitality  and  happiness,  and  in 
the  mean  time  things  have  changed — completely 
changed — I  can  assure  you.  The  two  old  people 
have  long  been  sleeping  beneath  the  shadow  of  St. 
Stephen's — the  country  church  in  which  they 
prayed  together  with  hearts  overflowing  with  love 
and  thankfulness.  Otter  View,  their  once  beauti- 
ful home,  has  passed  into  the  hands  of  strangers, 
while  its  hospitable  roof  is  crumbling,  its  flower 
beds  have  been  devastated  by  the  ploughshare,  its- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  41 

magnificent  oaks  have  been  devoted  to  the  con- 
struction of  negro  cabins,  its  trembling  aspens  have 
been  sold  as  fire-wood,  despite  the  initials  of  my 
sweetheart  which  adorned  them  ;  its  well-kept  gar- 
den has  been  consecrated  to  the  tobacco  crop,  its 
obsequious  darkeys  have  gone  where  ''  the  good  nig- 
gers go,"  and  its  beauties  and  gloriesare  only  things 
of  memory  and  tradition.  And  the  joyous  throngs 
that  once  delighted  to  revel  in  the  unclouded  hos- 
pitality of  this  old  Virginia  home — where  are  they  ? 
They  have  disappeared  completely,  vanished  like 
some  passing  cloud  that  leaves  no  trace  upon  the 
heavens.  Many  a  one  is  sleeping  his  last  sleep, 
buried  perchance  beneath  the  sod  of  some  alien 
field,  or  with  '^the  boys  at  Richmond,"  or  under 
the  solitary  cedars  of  the  neighboring  cemetery ; 
while  others,  with  whitened  locks  and  tottering 
limbs,  are  nursing  their  grandchildren  and  talking 
of  the  "better  times  before  the  war;"  and  one 
who  was  the  gayest  of  them  all  is  sitting  with 
rifled  heart  and  weary  brain  by  his  solitary  fireside 
in  a  land  of  strangers,  writing  the  history  of  those 
happier  days,  and  musing  over  the  mutability  of 
earthly  things,  and  the  strange  problem  of  human 
existence. 

1  spoke  of  the  last  time  I  saw  Otter  View,  and 
there  is  an  incident  connected  with  ray  journey 
thither  which  is  worth  relating.  Having  obtained 
a  leave  of  absence  from  the  faculty  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia,  where  I  was  then  ])ursuing  my 
studies,  I  drove  over  to  a  small  town  on  the  James 
and  took  a  canal  boat  for  Lynchburg.  A  fellow- 
student  by  the  name  of  Burwell,  a  man  full  of  life 
and  cleverness,  who  was  returning  to  his  home  in 
Franklin  County,  accompanied  me,  and  as  we  were 
young  and  the  sky  was  cloudless,  and  the  country 
was  beautiful,  we  enjoyed  the  drive  amazingly. 


42  A  doctor's  experiences 

On  our  arrival,  we  alighted  at  '' Dyer's  Hotel/' 
called  for  a  room,  made  our  preparations  for  dinner, 
and,  in  accordance  with    the  customs  of  the  times, 
asked  for  a  ^' drink  of  whisky"   as  a  preliminary 
to  the  meal.     To  our  great  surprise,  the  darkey  in 
attendance  declined  to   comply  with  our  demand, 
saying,  "'It's  agin  Mass  Dyer's  orders,  and  I  darnst 
to  fetch  it."      We  then  demanded  that  he  should 
bring  up  the  landlord,  as  we  wanted  an  explanation 
of  what  seemed  to  our  youthful  minds  the  most  ex- 
traordinary thing  that  had  ever  occurred  ''south  of 
Mason's  and  Dixon's  line."     In   a  few   moments 
mine   host    appeared,  looking   as  if  he  had   been 
born  and  reared  in  a  distillery,  but  with  a  temper- 
ance lecture   upon  the  rip  of  his   tongue.      ''You 
want  a  drink,  young  men,"  he  began  with  great 
solemnity;   "I  would   as  soon   give  you   tire   and 
brimstone,  for  whisky  is  a  device  of  hell   and  a 
trick  of  the  devil.     I  warn  you   never  to  touch  or 
taste  the  unclean  thing.     Shun  the  cup;  turn  your 
backs  upon  it ;  fly  from  it  as  you  would  from  the  chol- 
era and  a  mad  dog.    I  am  for  temperance — for  tem- 
perance against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil. 
Follow  me  ;  follow  in  my  footsteps ;  take  the  pledge ; 
never  drink  a  drop  yourselves,  and  start  a  temper- 
ance hotel.     This  is  my  house,  young  men,  and  I 
keep  it  in  my  way.     If  you  want  a  drink,  go  to  a 
'rum  mill'  and   get  it,  for  this  is   a    temperance 
hotel,  and  you  can't  drink  spirits  in  it  while  I  am 
above  j^round,  sure  as  my  name  is  Dyer." 

"  But,  Mr.  Dyer,"  put  in  Burwell,  who  was  a 
genuine  wag,  "  while  I  respect  your  principles  and 
am  delighted  with  your  hotel,  1  am  just  dying  of 
thirst,  and  I  must  have  a  drink." 

"Bring  this  thirsty  man  a  glass  of  ice-water, 
Caleb,"  was  Dyer's  laconic  command. 

"  But,  Mr.  Dyer— hold  on,  Caleb,"  said  Burwell, 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  43 

^'altliougli  I  like  cold  water  as  well  as  the  next 
man — that  is,  on  my  hands  and  face  when  they  need 
it — it  won't  begin  to  fill  the  bill  in  this  case.  I 
am  a  sick  man,  sir,  a  very  sick  man,  and  I  need  a 
drink  as  a  medicine/' 

' '  Bring  this  sick  man  a  dose  of  castor  oil,  Caleb, 
shouted  the'im placable  landlord^  as  he  marched  off, 
proud  of  himself  and  glorying  in  his  temperance 
hotel. 

"  Jeeraes  Biver  !"  exclaimed  Burwell,  giving  a 
long  whistle  of  disgust,  "  I  am  going  out  to  see  if 
the  whole  town  has  joined  the  temperance  society, 
and  if  I  can't  hunt  up  a  little  whisky  for  love  or 
money.  This  nonsense  is  all  wrong,  it  is  against 
the  Bill  of  Rights,  clearly.'' 

He  soon  returned  with  a  beaming  face  and  a  bottle 
of  whisky,  and  we  each  took  ^' forty  drops"  for 
the  stomach's  sake,  and  went  to  dinner.  After 
the  meal  we  sauntered  over  the  town,  and  finally 
returned  to  our  room,  where  a  spectacle  met  my 
gaze  that  I  shall  remember  to  the  end  of  my  ex- 
istence. Upon  the  table  stood  the  bottle  emptied 
completely  of  its  contents_,  and  undei^  it  lay  the 
prostrate  form  of  the  great  temperance  advocate, 
the  immaculate  Dyer,  as  drunk  as  Bacchus. 

We  called  for  Caleb,  had  our  effects  carried  to 
another  chamber,  and  left  when  the  boat  arrived, 
abundantly  satisfied  with  Dyer  and  his  temperance 
hotel. 

It  seems  that  the  poor  wretch  had  been  a  great 
drunkard,  but  that  a  short  time  before  our  arrival 
he  had  ''sworn  off,"  "taken  the  pledge,"  and 
christened  his  house  "Dyer's  Temperance  Hotel," 

Unfortunately,  the  sight  of  the  plethoric  bottle 
had  proved  too  much  for  his  new-born  virtue,  and 
yielding  to  the  temptation  of  the  moment,  he  had 
fallen  from  grace,  drunk  to  his  fill,  and  tumbled 


44  A  doctor's  experiences 

under  the  table  in  a  state  of  helpless  and  hopeless 
intoxication. 

When  I  last  heard  of  the  unfortunate  Dyer,  his 
hotel  was  closed,  and  he  was  filling  a  "  drunkard's 
grave'"  upon  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  James,  as 
many  a  better  man  has  done,  and  will  do,  for  the 
temperance  cause  can  never  flourish  where  ''  green 
mint"  grows  as  luxuriantly  as  it  does  in  the  Old 
Dominion. 

My  grandmother  Alexander  was  a  remarkable 
woman,  for  she  inherited  the  strong  sense,  the  ster- 
ling virtues,  and  the  courtly  bearing  of  her  family. 
She  was  the  very  soul  of  kindness,  gentleness  and 
good  breeding.  Although  deprived  of  her  vision 
at  a  comparatively  early  period,  she  retained  her 
vivacity  and  her  cheerfulness  to  the  end  of  life. 
The  w^ar  swept  aw^ay  her  property  and  left  her  de- 
pendent, but  she  never  murmured,  and  she  smiled 
and  prayed  on,  until  at  the  advanced  age  of*  ninety- 
two  years  her  final  summons  came. 

Having  been  born  in  Kentucky  when  it  was 
known  as  the  "  dark  and  bloody  ground,''  she  had 
a  thousand  interesting  stories  to  tell — such  as  of 
Daniel  Boone  and  his  wonderful  adventures  with 
"  the  savage  foe  ;"  of  life  in  the  ''  block-houses"  to 
which  the  women  and  children  were  constantly 
compelled  to  fly  for  shelter  ;  of  encounters  wdth  the 
Indians  which  she  had  seen  and  in  which  she  had 
actually  taken  part  :  of  the  capture  of  her  relatives, 
two  daughters  of  Colonel  Calloway,  and  their  sub- 
sequent rescue  at  a  distance  of  forty  miles  from  the 
fort  by  Col.  Nicholson  ;  of  the  ill-fated  expedition 
of  Colonel  Bowman,  when  he  went  out  wdth  the 
flower  of  Kentucky's  chivalry,  and  returned  after 
having  lost  nearly  his  entire  command,  despite  the 
desperate  bravery  of  Logan,  his  second  officer  ;  of 
the  history  of  that  extraordinary  man — remarkable 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  ,  45 

alike  for  his  talents  and  his  prostitution  of  them — 
Aaron  Burr,  over  whose  first  trial  her  father  pre- 
sided, and  by  whom  so  many  good  men  and  fair 
women  were  deceived  and  ruined  ;  of  the  chivalrous 
Blennerhasset,  whose  beautiful  island  home  was  once 
the  consummation  of  the  poet's  dream,  and  whose 
misfortunes  have  excited  so  profound  and  general 
a  sympathy  ;  of  Henry  Clay,  when  without  friends 
or  fortune,  but  with  great  talents  and  high  courage, 
lie  was  commencing  that  career  which  ultimately 
reflected  so  much  glory  upon  his  country,  and  made 
him  the  object  of  an  idolatry  without  a  precedent 
in  the  history  of  the  nation  ;  of  her  own  illustrious 
father,  to  whom  the  highest  positions  came  unsought 
and  were  held  unsullied,  who,  by  common  consent, 
was  recognized  as  the  first  gentleman  and  the 
ablest  jurist  of  his  day,  and  w^ho  enjoyed  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  a  trusted  friend  of  George  Wash- 
ington ;  and  of  a  multitude  of  other  incidents  and 
persons  of  equal  interest,  with  which  and  with 
whom  the  threads  of  her  early  life  had  been  inter- 
woven. 

I  have  lingered  long  over  this  theme  of  pedigree, 
mj  friend,  not  to  glorify  myself  in  the  slightest 
degree — not  to  afiiect  or  to  claim  aaght  of  superior- 
ity over  my  fellows — but  that  you  and  my  children 
may  understand  the  sources  whence  I  have  drawn 
the  inspirations  of  my  life,  and  because  it  has  been 
from  the  commingling  of  the  blood  and  virtues  of 
these  good  and  loyal  people  that  she  has  sprung  to 
whom  I  owe  my  existence,  and  upon  vt^hom  my 
heart  has  ever  lavished  all  the  love  and  reverence 
of  which  it  is  capable.  It  is  from  this  truly  noble 
stock — these  honorable  and  distinguished  ancestors 
— that  my  mother  has  descended,  and  I  can  say, 
with  truth  and  pride,  that  every  trait  of  character 
and  quality  of  mind  which  they  possessed^  have 


46  A  doctor's  experiences 

found  in  her  its  counterpart  and  parallel.  Honor- 
ing her  husband  supremely,  the  religion  of  her  life 
has  heen  to  share  his  burdens,  to  divide  his  sor- 
rows, to  smooth  his  pathway,  to  nurse  him  in  his 
sickness,  to  sustain  him  in  the  hour  of  death,  and 
to  guard  his  memory  as  a  sacred  trust.  Loving 
her  children  with  an  affection  akin  to  idolatry,  she 
has  lived  to  sow  only  the  seeds  of  virtue  in  their 
hearts,  to  make  their  joys  and  sorrows  hers,  to  hold 
perpetually  before  them  their  father's  life  as  "  a 
lamp  to  their  feet,"  and  hy  precept  and  example 
to  point  their  way  to  that  '^better  land"  where 
hope  has  its  fruition  and  faith  its  recompense. 

Such  is,  and  has  always  heen,  my  mother,  and 
it  is  not  surprising  that  a  nature  so  full  of  tender- 
ness, so  self-sacrificing  and  devoted,  should  inspire 
her  children  with  sentiments  of  the  deepest  affec- 
tion and  of  the  most  supreme  respect.  '^I  have 
had  my  reward  already,"  she  once  said,  when 
spoken  to  in  regard  to  her  love  for  her  family,  ''for 
not  one  of  my  children  has  ever  told  me  a  falsehood 
or  disobeyed  me."  The  principle  of  compensation 
thus  finds  one  of  its  most  significant  illustrations 
in  the  reciprocal  love  and  devotion  which  exists  be- 
tween this  good  w^oman  and  those  to  whom  she  has 
given  existence. 

My  grandmother's  half-sister,  Maria  Jones — the 
issue  of  her  father's  second  marriage — first  married 
Chief-Justice  Todd,  of  Kentucky,  and  afterward  the 
Hon.  J.  J.  Crittenden,  the  distinguished  Governor 
and  the  eloquent  Senator,  whose  popularity  through- 
out the  entire  country  was  hardly  less  than  that  of 
the  great  Kentuckian  himself. 

Having  heen  sent  at  the  age  of  fifteen  to  a  board- 
ing-school in  Fairfax  County,  Virginia,  it  was  my 
habit  to  spend  my  holidays  in  Washington  as  the 
guest  of  Mrs.  Crittenden,  and  I  thus  had  an  oppor- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  47 

tunity  of  becoming  well  acquainted  with  her  and 
her  illustrious  husband,  as  well  as  with  many  of 
the  most  renowned  statesmen  of  that  day. 

I  was  born  in  Tyrrell  County,  North  Carolina, 
where  my  parents  settled  soon  after  their  marriage, 
but  my  recollections  of  it  are  very  indistinct,  as 
they  removed  to  the  town  of  Edenton  when  I  was 
only  four  years  of  age. 

Edenton  is  so  named  in  honor  of  Charles  Eden, 
one  of  the  early  governors  of  North  Carolina,  and 
is  one  of  the  oldest  as  well  as  most  beautiful  of 
Southern  towns,  having  been  incorporated  in  1712. 
It  is  situated  on  a  bay  which  is  scarcely  less  pic- 
turesque than  that  of  Naples,  embowered  in  ma- 
jestic elms,  adorned  with  luxuriant  gardens,  filled 
with  antiquated  but  beautiful  mansions,  and  has 
as  a  background  a  forest  of  sighing  pines  and  weep- 
ing cypresses.  It  was  there  that  my  boyhood  was 
spent  and  the  first  venture  of  my  manhood  made, 
and  it  is  within  the  precincts  of  its  old  church-yard 
that  I  would  like  to  sleep  when  the  labors  of  life 
are  ended. 


48  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER   III. 

EAELY  DAYS. 

My  Dear  Doctor: 

It  pained  me  greatly  to  leave  the  haven  in  which 
my  boyhood  had  been  spent  so  quietly,  and  to 
launch  out  into  the  world.  Independent  of  my 
love  for  my  family  and  friends,  I  had  a  real  affec- 
tion for  my  home — for  the  roof  which  had  covered 
me  so  long  ;  for  the  trees  under  which  I  had 
played  from  earliest  days  ;  for  the  flowers  that 
bloomed  beneath  my  window^  and  filled  the  house 
with  perfume  and  my  heart  with  gladness  ;  for 
tht^  birds  that  built  their  nests  in  the  arbor,  and 
sang  so  sweetly  all  the  day  long;  for  the  "^  old 
mammy  "  who  nursed  me  with  such  unfaltering 
tenderness,  and  stocked  my  brain  with  camp-meet- 
ing tunes  and  the  superstitions  of  her  race  ;  and 
for  the  beautiful  bay  and  the  majestic  sound  and 
the  gloomy  forest  and  all  the  various  objects  with 
which  my  existence  had  been  identified.  It  was 
sad,  indeed,  to  be  compelled  to  turn  my  back  upon 
those  who  were  dearest  to  me  and  the  objects  which 
I  loved  so  fondly,  and  I  went  off  with  as  sad  a  heart 
as  ever  beat  in  a  boyish  bosom. 

This  sadness  was  increased  by  the  expectation 
of  being  forced  to  give  more  attention  to  my  books 
than  my  inclination  prompted,  and  of  being  de- 
barred from  the  joy  of  my  life — the  pleasure  of 
wandering  about  the  country.  It  is  true  that  I  had 
been  a  great  reader,  but  I  had  shamefully  neglected 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  49 

my  studies — partly  from  an  inherent  spirit  of  reliel- 
lion  against  coercion  of  all  kinds,  and  for  the  reason 
that  the  system  of  instruction  to  which  I  had  been 
subjected  awakened  in  me  only  a  feeling  of  resent- 
ment and  indignation.  Long  3^ears  have  passed 
since  then,  and  I  am  not  disposed  to  rake  up  the 
ashes  of  the  past,  but  I  will  say  this  much,  at 
least :  It  was  a  system  of  favoritism  and  partisan- 
ship of  the  lowest  description.  There  was  a 
chronic  quarrel  in  the  "board  of  trustees,"  and 
my  father  headed  one  of  the  factions,  Avhile 
another  physician  led  the  other,  which,  for  the 
time  being,  was  the  more  powerful.  As  the 
teachers  were  elected  by  this  board,  and  were 
directly  responsible  to  it,  they  made  it  the  study 
of  their  lives  to  please  only  the  stronger  jDai'ty. 
The  sons  of  those  trustees  who  belonged  to  the 
majority  were,  therefore,  placed  at  the  head  of 
their  classes  and  kept  there,  while  those  of  us  who 
appertained  to  the  minority  were  pronounced 
dunces,  and  made  to  appear  as  such  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. I  rememl3er  well  the  public  exami- 
nation of  a  class  in  geography^  when  Tom  Jones 
was  called  up  and  questioned  in  regard  to  the  State 
of  Georgia. 

Teacher  :  '*  Thomas,  what  can  you  tell  me  about 
Georgia?" 

No  response. 

Teacher:  "Thomas,  don't  be  afraid,  as  good  a 
scholar  as  you  are  must  not  lose  his  head  because 
of  a  'public  examination.'  What^is  the  capital 
of  Geor2:ia?" 

A  dead  silence. 

Teacher  :   "This  is  unaccountable  !     A  boy  who 
has  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  during  the  entire 
session  not  able  to  answer  a  word  in  public  !     Col- 
4 


50  A  doctor's  experiences 

lect  your  thoughts,  Thomas,  and  tell  me  how 
Georgia  is  bounded." 

Not  a  word  in  reply. 

Teacher:  "What  do  you  mean?  Have  you 
lost  your  tongue  ?  Has  the  presence  of  all  these 
people  taken  your  senses  completely  away  ?  What 
is  the  matter  with  you  ?  Can't  you  answer  a  word 
about  Georgia  ?" 

'•  Why,  Mr.  D ,"  cried  out  Thomas,  ''don't 

you  know  that  Georgia  ain't  my  State?  You 
gave  me  Virginia  to  learn,  and  I  know  it  like  a 
book." 

The  secret  was  out,  and  the  system  of  instruc- 
tion pursued  in  the  academy  was  made  apparent. 
Tom  Jones  was  by  nature  an  ass,  but  he  was  a 
son  of  one  of  the  majority  of  the  board — a  board 
which  had  just  elected  the  teacher  for  another  term 

and  raised  his  salary  besides — and  Mr.  D -,  in 

order  to  give  eclat  to  his  examination  on  geogra- 
phy, had  assigned  him  a  particular  State  on  which 
he  was  to  prepare  himself,  and  then  to  be  publicly 
questioned.  By  some  accident  things  became 
mixed  in  the  teacher's  mind,  and  he  questioned  his 
favorite  on  Georgia  instead  of  Virginia — with  the 
result  above  indicated.  This  incident,  with  others 
oi    a   similar    nature,  developed    in   my   mind    so 

supreme  a  disgust  for  Mr.  D and  for  teachers 

in  general,  as  to  cause  me  to  neglect  my  books 
and  to  get  fearfully  behindhand  in  my  studies. 

I  had  not  the  hunter's  instincts^  but  the  ram- 
bler's, and  though  my  dog  and  gun  were  my  con- 
stant companions,  I  have  not  much  to  answer  for 
so  far  as  the  slaughter  of  the  birds  of  the  air  and 
the  denizens  of  the  forest  are  concerned.  The  de- 
light of  my  heart  was  to  hold  communion  with  Na- 
ture and  myself  under  the  spreading  trees  of  the 
forest  or  beneath  the  blue  skv  of  the  fields,  or  on 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  5T 

the  reedy  banks  of  the  creek  or  by  the  sandy  shores 
of  the  sound,  or  wherever  I  could  find  most  of  soli- 
tude and  least  of  human  fellowship. 

To  me,  with  these  tastes  and  habits,  the  ^^ rough 
and  tumt3le ' '  life  of  a  boarding  school  seemed  ap- 
palling, and  I  looked  forward  with  dread  to  the 
surrender  of  this  source  of  enjoyment,  and,  as  I  be- 
lieved, of  moral  development. 

My  dog  I  loved  passionately,  for  he  was  unusally 
intelligent,  while  his  attachment  to  me  was  some- 
thing remarkable.  He  was  certainly  capable  of 
reasoning  and  he  understood  every  word  that  fell 
from  my  lips.  That  he  was  cognizant  of  my  ex- 
pected departure  I  am  convinced,  for  he  gave  evi- 
dence of  much  distress  of  mind,  refusing  food,  rov- 
ing restlessly  about  with  drooping  ears  and  trailing 
tail,  and  an  occasional  moan  which  resembled  that 
of  a  sick  child.  When  I  bade  him  good-bye,  as  I 
did  with  my  arms  folded  about  his  neck  and  tears 
streaming  from  my  eyes,  I  never  beheld  in  any 
countenance  a  look  of  such  profound  sorrow  as  I 
saw  in  his.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he 
could  be  prevented  from  following  me,  while  his 
whimper  of  pain  had  something  so  human  in  it 
that  it  has  sounded  in  my  ears  ever  since.  Alas ! 
I  never  saw  my  beloved  Byron  again,  though  I 
have  shed  many  a  tear  over  his  grav%  for  on  the 
night  of  my  departure  he  stole  into  my  room,  lay 
himself  upon  my  bed,  and  w^s  found  on  the  suc- 
ceeding morning  stiff  and  cold,  having  died  of  a 
broken  heart. 

My  father,  who  was  greatly  grieved  by  this  sad 
event,  had  him  placed  in  a  coffin  and  decently 
buried  beneath  the  old  pear  tree  in  the  garden, 
where  he  still  sleeps  peacefully  and  not  forgotten. 

Can  it  be  that  this  noble  creature,  who  in  life 
manifested  the  attributes  of  courage,  love,  fidelity, 


52  A    DOCTOR  S    EXPERIEXCES 

and  devotion  even  unto  death,  shall  be  left  to  slee}) 
on  "a  mass  of  common  dnst,"  when  other  beings 
inferior  in  intellect  and  character  are  awakened  by 
the  final  trump?  I  cannot  say  or  even  conjecture, 
but  of  one  thing  I  am  sure:  If  I  am  '^  called"'  in 
that  day  of  doom,  and  find  myself  possessed  of  con- 
sciousness and  identit}',  I  shall  look  for  the  well- 
remembered  form  of  my  faithful  friend,  and  shall 
hope  to  hear  his  bark  of  welcome  and  delight  again. 

As  I  write  these  words,  unbidden  tears  fall  upon 
my  paper,  for  they  unlock  the  coffers  of  memory 
and  bring  out  thoughts  and  recollections  of  the 
past  which  quite  unman  me. 

Speaking  of  Byron  reminds  me  of  Fanny,  the 
little  dog  that  my  children  raised  in  those  hard 
years  in  Baltimore  just  after  the  war,  and  loved  so 
well,  because,  perchance,  they  had  so  little  to  di- 
vide with  her.  Do  you  remember  her  extraordi- 
nary conduct  when  my  little  boy  was  taken?  At 
any  rate  I  will  repeat  the  story,  for  it  is  worth  it. 
Just  before  Ned's  death,  Fanny  came  running  into 
the  room,  sprang  upon  the  bed,  gazed  with  a  wist- 
ful look  into  his  face  for  an  instant,  licked  his  cold 
and  clammy  hands,  and  then,  with  a  low  wail  and 
an  expression  of  unutterable  sadness,  ran  wildly 
away  as  if  she  were  pursued  or  had  run  mad.  She 
was  not  seen  again  until  the  remains  of  our  dar- 
ling had  been  carried  away,  when  she  crawled 
from  beneath  a  bed  in  another  chamber,  the  very 
picture  of  despair  and  almost  a  type  of  emaciation, 
for  she  had  not  stirred  nor  tasted  food  for  two  en- 
tire days.  That  she  knew  he  was  dead  and  we 
were  wretched,  she  indicated  in  many  ways  for 
several  weeks.  Indeed,  she  never  recovered  her 
wonted  playfulness,  while  she  manifested  an  in- 
creased affection  for  every  member  of  the  family 
from  that  time  forward. 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  53 

Some  months  afterward  tliere  came  into  my  of- 
fice a  little  boy,  the  tones  of  whose  voice  at  once 
reminded  me  of  those  of  my  own  dead  son,  so  much 
so  in  truth  that  I  found  difficulty  in  commanding 
myself  sufficiently  to  prescribe  for  him.  In  a  mo- 
ment I  heard  Fanny  scratching  and  barking  vio- 
lently at  the  door,  and  when  I  permitted  her  to  en- 
ter she  sprang  upon  him,  and  overwhelmed  him 
with  caresses.  These  demonstrations  of  delight 
lasted  but  an  instant,  for  she  seemed  to  take  in 
the  situation  at  a  glance  and  to  understand  that 
even  her  acute  senses  had  been  deceived ;  her  merry 
bark  immediately  changed  into  a  distressed  whim- 
per, her  ears  fell  and  her  tail  trailed  on  the  floor, 
and  she  turned  and  rushed  away,  the  very  picture 
of  sorrow  and  disappointment.  For  the  whole  day 
she  concealed  herself,  emitting  an  occasional  cry, 
as  if  she  were  in  pain,  and  refusing  both  water  and 
food . 

It  is  needless  to  tell  you  how  profound  an  im- 
pression these  incidents  produced  upon  our  minds, 
and  with  what  affection  and  tenderness  we  ever 
afterward  regarded  her. 

While  on  the  subject  of  dogs,  I  cannot  refrain 
from  telling  you  another  story ^  which  has  an  amus- 
ing side  to  it. 

In  Cairo  my  children  had  a  poodle  of  which  they 
were  very  fond,  as  it  was  the  most  docile  and  harm- 
less thing  imaginable.  As  the  Egyptians  have  a 
great  aversion  to  these  animals — regarding  them 
as  unclean  and  as  imparting  profanation  by  their 
touch — we  were  constantly  having  difficulties  about 
our  little  pet  which  finally  culminated  rather  seri- 
ously. One  day  a  Pasha  of  high  position  and 
great  pretensions  came  to  pay  me  a  visit,  and  find- 
ing the  door  open  he  entered  the  house  and  clapped 
his  hands,  according  to  the  eastern  custom,  to  an- 


54  A  doctor's  experiences 

nounce  his  presence  and  to  summon  a  servant. 
Unluckily,  only  the  acute  ears  of  Aula  caught  the 
sound,  and  she  rushed  into  the  parlor  to  welcome 
the  visitor  with  friendly  hark  and  kind  caresses,  as 
was  her  wont.  In  an  instant  the  whole  household 
was  startled '  hy  a  noise  of  rushing  feet  mingled 
with  loud  cries  for  assistance,  uttered  alternately 
in  Arahic  and  in  English.  We  entered  the  room 
in  a  body,  and,  to  our  consternation,  found  the 
Pasha  mounted  upon  the  center-table  by  the  side 
of  the  lamp  and  in  the  midst  of  our  curiosities  of 
faience^  etc.,  frightened  nearly  to  death  and  shout- 
ing for  assistance,  while  the  poodle  was  coursing 
around  the  "treed"  dignitary,  barking  to  the  full- 
est capacity  of  her  vocal  organs,  evidently  de- 
lighted with  the  cordial  reception  which  she  had 
given  her  master's  guest. 

Although  I  had  coffee  served  and  overwhelmed 
his  excellency  with  expressions  of  regret  and  to- 
kens of  hospitality,  he  could  be  induced  to  remain 
but  a  few  moments,  and  took  his  departure,  filled 
with  apprehensions  on  account  of  the  dog  and  in- 
dignant with  me  because  I  had  rendered  such  a 
scene  possible  by  keeping  an  animal  which  all 
good  Mohammedans  regard  with  aversion  and  dis- 
gust. We  became  better  friends  afterward^  over 
the  couch  of  a  sick  child,  but  he  never  could  refer 
to  his  adventure  without  becoming  angry  and  lec- 
turing me  furiously  for  my  want  of  good  sense  and 
proper  tact  in  failing  to  respect  the  sentiments  and 
prejudices  of  a  people  with  whom  I  had  cast  my 
lot. 

Although  he  had  spent  several  years  in  England 
and  spoke  the  language  of  that  country  fluently, 
he  had  never  abandoned  the  prejudices  of  his  race 
and  religion.  He  was  an  Arab  in  every  cell  and 
fiber  of  his  heart,  notwithstanding  his  association 


IN   THREE    COXTINENTS.  55 

■with  gentlemen  and  Christians,  and  without  re- 
gard to  the  thick  coat  of  civilized  polish  with 
which  he  had  besmeared  himself.  As  an  evidence 
of  this  I  have  only  to  tell  you  that  our  little  dog 
disappeared  on  the  succeeding  day,  to  the  great 
sorrow  of  my  children,  and  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe  that  when  the  Pasha  left  the  house  he  com- 
manded the  '^Boab"  to  destroy  the  unoffending 
little  creature  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

As  I  passed  through  Washington  en  'route  to 
Alexandria,  I  called  on  Mr.  Tyler,  who  was  then 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  having  become 
so  by  the  death  of  G-eneral  Harrison.  The  Presi- 
dent received  me  kindly,  as  he  knew  my  parents 
well,  his  first  wife  having  been  a  Christian  and  a 
near  relative  of  my  father.  He  was  a  tall,  gaunt, 
and  ungainly  man,  with  a  long,  oval,  and  reced- 
ing forehead,  and  a  nose  of  the  Roman  type,  exag- 
gerated in  its  dimensions,  but  his  manners  were  of 
that  frank,  cordial.  Southern  kind  which  won  all 
hearts,  and  showed  the  intrinsic  kindness  of  the 
nature  which  inspired  them.  Only  a  short  time 
before  he  had  been  repudiated  by  the  Whig  party, 
and  having  no  following,  he  was,  as  he  told  me 
w4th  a  touch  of  sadness  in  his  tone,  ''the  best 
abused  man  in  the  country."  As  you  have  always 
been  something  of  a  politician,  I  am  sure  you  will 
recall  the  great  excitement  which  prevailed  in  con- 
sequence of  the  dispute  between  Mr.  Tyler  and  the 
Whig  party — led  by  Mr.  Clay — which  ensued  in 
consequence  of  the  refusal  of  the  President  to  ap- 
prove the  bank  bills. 

xlfter  the  most  memorable  political  campaign  ever 
known,  when  a  whole  people  got  drunk  with  ''  hard 
cider,"  and  the  magical  refrain  of  ''jTippecanoe 
and  Tyler  too"  became  the  ''national  anthem,"  and 
swelled  in  thunder  tones  throusrhout  an  infatuated 


56  A  doctor's  experiences 

country,  General  Harrison  and  Mr.  Tyler  were 
elected,  by  the  almost  unanimous  vote  of  the 
electoral  college,  to  the  respective  positions'*  of 
Pi-esident  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 
Their  inaguration  amid  universal  rejoicing  ;  then 
the  sudden  death  of  the  President,  with  the  genu- 
ine sorrow  it  produced  ;  and  the  establishment  of 
the  Vice-President  in  the  vacant  Presidential  chair, 
followed  each  other  in  such  rapid  succession  as  to 
appear  like  the  shifting  scenes  of  some  histrionic 
drama.  The  Whig  party  having  a  majority  in 
both  branches  of  Congress,  seemed  to  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  realize  its  dream  of  governmental  policy, 
and  to  perpetuate  its  power  indefinitely..  It  im- 
mediately proceeded,  consequently,  to  the  con- 
sideration of  a  bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  na- 
tional bank  with  almost  unlimited  powers,  and,  on 
the  28th  of  July,  1841,  it  was  sent  to  the  Presi- 
dent for  his  approval.  To  the  regret  of  his  politi- 
cal friends  and  the  ruin  of  his  party,  he  unhesi- 
tatingly returned  it  to  the  Senate,  announcing 
himself  as  being  "conscientiously  opposed  on  con- 
stitutional grounds"  to  the  creation  of  such  a 
bank  as  that  provided  for  in  the  bill  submitted  for 
his  signature.  Again  the  experiment  was  tried, 
and  another  bill  of  similar  import  was  passed  by 
Congress  and  sent  to  the  President,  but  the  result 
was  the  same  —he  peremtorily  vetoed  it  as  he  had 
done  its  predecessor.  Mr.  Clay,  yielding  to  his  im- 
perious temper,  and  persuaded  that  Mr.  Tyler  had 
betrayed  and  ruined  his  party,  attacked  him  with 
great  virulence,  bringing  to  bear  that  power  of 
sarcasm  in  which  no  man  was  his  superior,  and 
that  furv  of  denunciation  which,  like  the  lio^ht- 
ning's  flash,  withered  and  blasted  wherever  it 
fell.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the  party  which 
worshiped  the    "great    Kentuckian  "   as  a  demi- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  57 

God,  accepted  his  conclusions,  and,  turning  upon 
the  man  it  had  recently  idolized,  sought  to  rend 
and  ruin  him.  In  order  to  appreciate  this  differ- 
ence between  Mr.  Tyler  and  the  Whig  party,  it  is 
necessary  to  place  yourself  in  his  position  and  to 
survey  the  field  from  his  standpoint. 

Up  to  the  hour  when  the  dispute  occurred  Mr. 
Tyler  had  been  universally  regarded  as  the  very 
soul  of  honor  and  integrity.  My  father,  who  was 
reared  in  his  county,  and  had  known  him  from 
earliest  childhood,  told  me  that  there  never  lived  a 
purer  or  a  more  high-toned  man,  and  that  he  was 
just  the  one  to  submit  to  torture  or  to  death  for  the 
sake  of  that  which  he  believed  to  be  right.  It  is 
likewise  on  record — in  documents  written  and  pub- 
lished since  1819 — that  he  had  always  been  ''  con- 
scientiously opposed  on  constitutional  grounds  "  to 
a  national  bank,  while  Mr.  Webster  states  in  a 
letter  written  to  Mr.  Kitchen,  on  the  16th  day  of 
July,  1841,  that  '' the' opinions  of  these  gentle- 
men— Harrison  and  Tyler — were  generally  known 
on  all  political  subjects,  and  those  of  the  latter 
gentleman,  especially  on  the  bank  question,  were 
as  well  known  as  the  sentiments  of  any  public  man 
on  any  subject  whatever." 

It  is  also  true  that  he  did  not  seek  the  nomina- 
tion, and  made  no  pledge  in  connection  with  it, 
bnt  that  he  was  sought  for  and  was  nominated  be- 
cause of  his  availability — because  his  known  char- 
acter and  opinions  made  him  acceptable  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  country,  and  were  calculated  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  party. 

In  addition  to  this,  it  is  well  known  that,  until  his 
Dayton  speech,  which  w^as  delivered  subsequently 
to  his  nomination  and  some  time  after  the  canvass 
was  commenced,  General  Harrison  himself  was 
supposed  to  be  equally  opposed  lo  a  national  bank, 


58  A  doctor's  experiexces 

and  that,  even  in  that  speech,  he  admitted  his 
strong  leanings  against  such  an  institution,  and 
his  unwillingness  to  sanction  any  measure  propos- 
ing its  establishment  "  unless  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  successful  management  of  the 
Government,  and  was  chartered  with  the  most 
limited  powders  possible." 

Let  me  ask,  then,  if  it  was  just  and  fair  to  de- 
nounce Mr.  Tyler  as  a  traitor  to  his  party  because, 
when  called  upon  to  approve  or  disapprove  of  a 
measure  submitted  to  hira  by  Congress,  he  ad- 
hered to. the  conviction  of  a  lifetime,  differed  v^ith 
his  friends  in  regard  to  a  measure  which  had  never 
been  regarded  as  a  test  of  party  fealty,  and,  in- 
stead of  following  the  suggestions  of  ambition  or 
the  dictates  of  friendship,  or  the  requirements  of  a 
narrow^  partisanship,  he  chose  to  do  that  which  he 
considered  right,  consistent,  and  most  beneficial  to 
the  wdiole  country  ? 

It  was  not  reserved  for  posterity  to  answer  this 
question  ;  the  reply  came  before  his  career  was 
ended  ;  and  in  the  homage  of  the  people  of  the 
entire  South  and  the  unsought  honors  of  his  native 
State,  he  found  that  recompense  for  which  his 
wounded  but  still  proud  and  conscientious  spirit 
had  sighed  so  long  and  so  richly  merited. 

I  met  him  in  Richmond  when,  as  a  member  of 
the  Confederate  Congress,  he  was  regarded  with  a 
degree  of  confidence,  respect,  and  veneration  which 
could  not  have  been  otherwise  than  gratifying  to 
a  man  of  his  chivalrous  and  sensitive  nature — to 
one  who  had  been  called  to  endure  so  much  of 
obloquy,  outrage,  and  persecution  for  conscience 
sake,  and  in  the  defense  of  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  highest  interests  of  his  country. 

It  w-as  a  source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to  him  to 
find  that,  when  the  other  members  of  his  Cabinet 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  59 

deserted  him,  Mr.  Webster  remained   faithfully  at 
his  post. 

Although  a  Whig  of  '^the  strictest  sect,"  and 
an  ardent  advocate  of  a  national  bank — as  he  ex- 
pressly declared  in  his  famous  letter  to  the  Na- 
tional Intelligencer  of  the  13th  of  September,  1841 — 
he  had  the  good  sense  to  appreciate  the  consist- 
ency of  Mr.  Tyler's  course,  and  the  patriotism  to 
sustain  him  in  the  face  of  as  fearful  a  tide  of  per- 
secution as  it  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  a  statesman  to 
meet  and  stem.  Even  the  reputation  which  the 
'^'  Sage  of  Marshfield  "  had  established  for  sagacity, 
judgment,  probity,  and  love  of  country  did  not 
shield  him  against  the  wrath  of  the  disappointed 
politicians  who  sought  to  sacrifice  him,  covered 
with  honors  and  revered  by  the  whole  world  as  he 
was,  in  order  that  they  might  reach  and  destroy 
the  President.  Confiding,  however,  in  the  sin- 
cerity of  his  own  opinions,  and  giving  Mr.  Tyler 
the  fullest  credit  for  his  conscientious  convictions, 
he  stood  like  a  '' stone-wall "  between  the  per- 
secuted and  hivS  persecutors,  and  threw  the  weight 
of  his  great  name  and  influence  upon  the  side  of 
the  administration.  The  history  of  the  nation 
contains  no  prouder  or  more  thrilling  page  than 
that  upon  which  is  recounted  the  story  of  the  mu- 
tual sacrifices  of  these  two  great  men  upon  the 
altar  of  their  country.  Victims  though  they  were  of 
vindictive  personal  and  political  assaults,  the  names 
of  the  President  and  Mr.  Webster  will  descend  to 
posterity  associated  with  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
administrations  which  the  country  has  known.  Mr. 
Tyler  presented  me  to  Miss  Gardner,  a  young  and 
beautiful  woman  to  whom  he  was  subsequently 
married,  and  who,  notwithstanding  their  disparity 
of  years,  bore  him  several  children,  and  made  him 
an    excellent  wife.     The  father  of  this  ladv  was 


60  A  doctor's  experiences 


then  the  guest  of  the  President,  and  was  having  a 
delightful  time  in  Washington  society,  little  dream- 
ing of  the  sad  fate  which  awaited  him. 

The  Princeton,  a  vessel  of  war  constructed  by 
Comniodore  Stockton,  and  carrying  the  heaviest 
piece  of  ordnance  that  had  been  seen  at  that 
day,  came  up  the  Potomac  and  cast  anchor 
opposite  Alexandria.  Accompanied  by  a  number 
of  school-mates  1  visited  her,  and  was  shown 
her  beautiful  cabins,  her  powerful  engines,  and 
her  wonderful  gun,  which  was  fired  for  our 
amusement  by  the  officer  in  charge.  On  the  sue-* 
ceeding  day  I  heard  a  tremendous  report  from  the 
river  below  Alexandria,  which  I  knew  came  from 
the  great  gun  of  the  Princeton.  Judge  of  my  horror 
when  I  learned  that  the  report  had  been  caused  by 
the  bursting  of  this  huge  cannon,  and  tliat  among 
the  killed  were  Dr.  Gardner,  Judge  Upshur,  of  the 
Cabinet,  Commodore  Kennon,  and  several  other  dis- 
tinguished persons.  The  President  made  a  narrow 
escape,  for,  though  the  gun  was  to  be  fired  in  his 
special  honor,  some  insignificant  circumstance 
called  him  to  the  cabin  only  a  moment  before  the 
accident  occurred.  He  was  always  called  by  his 
friends  "  lucky  John  Tyler,"  because  throughout 
his  entire  life  the  rarest  pieces  of  good  fortune 
and  the  strangest  escaj^es  from  accident  occurred 
to  him.  My  father  told  me  that  he  once  heard  Mr. 
Stevenson,  of  Virginia — who  so  long  represented 
the  United  States  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  and 
was  an  unusually  handsome  man — twit  Mr.  Tyler, 
in  the  outset  of  his  career,  on  what  he  called  the 
"  sublimest  gift  of  ugliness,  and  the  greatest  run 
of  luck"  that  ever  a  man  had.  ''Yes,"  said 
Mr.  Tyler,  "  the  Lord  has  dealt  lavishly  with  me 
in  these  respects  ;  but,  Stevenson,  had  he  made  me 
as  good  looking  as  you  are,  I  should  be  President 


IN    THREE   COXTIXEXTS.  '  Bl 

of  the  United  States,"  little   dreaming   what   his 
luck  was  really  to  he  in  the  end. 

The  thing  called  luck  is  a  curious  phenomenon. 
It  is  true  that,  as  a  general  rule,  "Providence  is 
on  the  side  of  the  heaviest  artillery,"  and  that 
"every  man  is  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune," 
but,  apart  from  all  this,  some  men  are  constantly  sub- 
ject to  strange  freaks  both  of  good  and  of  bad  fortune, 
entirely  independent  of  their  merits  or  defects. 
History  is  filled  with  instances  illustrative  of  this 
fact,  and  the  observation  of  every  one  confirms  it. 
The  prejudice  against  Friday  as  an  unlucky  day 
is,  as  you  may  know,  almost  universal  in  Christian 
countries,  and  I  found  that  the  Mohammedans  are 
equally  prejudiced  against  Wednesday,  though  no 
authority  exists  for  it  in  the  Koran.  The  old 
adao^e  that  "it  is  better  to  be  born  luckv  than  rich," 
has  a  great  deal  of  wisdom  in  it,  for  to  the  lucky 
man  any  thin  o-  is  possible.  I  have,  for  instance, 
two  friends — one  is  passionately  fond  of  racing, 
and,  without  knowing  anything  about  .horses  or 
taking  the  trouble  to  inform  himself,  he  scarcely 
ever  makes  a  bet  without  winning  it  ;  while  the 
other  would  be  sure  to  lose  Mr.  Mackay's  fortune 
to-morrow  if  it  were  given  him  to-day,  and  by  no 
ap])arent  fault  of  his  own. 

Whatever  has  come  to  me,  whether  of  good  or 
€vil,  has  come  with  a  "rush."  My  pathway  has 
either  been  canopied  with  the  fairest  flowers  or 
paved  with  the  sharpest  thorns  ;  my  portion  has 
either  been  of  the  brightness  of  heaven  or  of  the 
blackness  of  hell.  My  life  has  been  the  embodi- 
ment of  all  that  can  be  conceived  of  the  improbable, 
the  unexpected,  and  the  extreme,  alike  as  regards 
hope  and  disappointment,  prosperity  and  adversity, 
praise  and  censure,  and  all  the  varied  conditions 
which  make  up  the  sum  and  substance  of  human 
existence. 


62  A  doctor's  experiences 

I  well  remember  how  forlorn  and  miserable  was 
my  first  day  at  school.  The  solemn  aspect  of  the 
principal,  the  stern  bearing  of  the  masters,  and 
the  subdued  manner  of  the  boys  were  like  a  'new 
revelation"  to  me,  and  I  gazed  mechanically  upon 
ray  books  without  the  ability  to  comprehend  a 
word  of  them,  thinking  of  home,  and. counting  the 
days  which  must  elapse  before  I  should  see  it 
again. 

At  night  a  bed  was  assigned  to  me  in  a  long  dor- 
mitory where  more  than  a  dozen  boys  slept,  and 
in  sheer  bashfulness  I  waited  until  the  lights  had 
been  extinguished  before  T  began  to  undress  my- 
self. Profound  silence  reigned  around,  and  I  said 
my  prayers  with  shivering  lips  and  crept  into  bed, 
musing  on  my  mother's  tearful  face  and  old  Byron's 
pleading  gaze  on  the  evening  of  my  departure.  In 
a  moment  I  found  myself  enveloped  in  sheets  and 
blankets  upon  the  floor,  and  I  discovered  that  the 
sacking  had  been  carefully  detached  in  order  that 
this  result  might  be  accomplished  with  certainty 
and  facility.  One  loud  roar  of  laughter  resounded 
through  the  chamber,  and  a  dozen  boys  leaped  from 
their  beds  and  gathered  around  me,  offering  assist- 
ance and  pretending  to  sympathize  with  my  mis- 
fortune, but  really  amused  at  my  struggles  to  ex- 
tricate myself,  and  at  the  strong  terms  in  w^hich  I 
gave  expression  to  my  indignation.  As  it  was  im- 
possible to  rearrange  the  bed,  I  made  a  pallet  upon 
the  floor  and  slept  as  well  as  could  be  expected 
until  the  morning,  having  remarked  to  the  boys  as 
they  returned  to  their  couches,  "we  will  see  about 
this  to-morrow."  The  bell  rang  at  6  a.  m.,  and 
Ave  hurried  to  prayers,  and  afterward  gathered  in 
the  "wash  room"  to  prepare  for  breakfast.  So 
soon  as  the  door  was  closed  I  said  to  my  compan-, 
ions  of  the  dormitory  :   "Well,  boys,  the  time  has 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  63 

corae  for  settling  the  affair  of  last  night,  and  be- 
fore I  have  eaten  my  bi'eakfast  I  intend  to  trash 
the  rascal  who  played  the  trick  on  me."  They 
hooted  at  me ;  they  declared  themselves  equally 
guilty ;  they  pronounced  me  a  fool  for  wanting  to 
fight  over  '-a  little  fun;"  and  they  informed  me 
that  it  w^as  the  ''  rule  of  the  school"  to  treat  every 
new  comer  in  that  way.  My  blood  was  up,  how- 
ever, and  I  would  listen  to  no  explanation,  for  I 
knew  that  if  I  failed  to  resent  this  indignity  a  dozen 
more  would  be  attempted.  "No,"  said  I,  "you 
can't  get  out  of  it  in  that  way,  and  if  the  boy  who 
did  it  will  have  the  courage  to  say  so,  I  shall  whip 
him  or  he  shall  whip  me." 

A  blue-eyed,  pleasant-looking  fellow  about  my 
own  age  then  walked  forward  and  said:  "  If  you 
will  be  a  fool  and  fight  I  am  your  man,  for  I  un- 
fastened the  sacking  and  let  you  down." 

With  that  we  "pitched  in,"  and  though  he 
gave  me  a  blow  on  the  nose  which  made  me  "  see 
stars"  for  an  instant,  I  soon  had  him  on  the  floor 
and  at  my  mercy,  for  I  was  possessed  of  great 
physical  strength  for  one  of  my  years.  At  this 
juncture  in  rushed  Tom,  the  negro  waiter,  and  in 
a  moment  separated  us,  saying  :  "  Is  you  not 
shamed  of  yourself's  to  be  fitin  here  just  arter  a 
sayin  un  your  prayers,  and  brekass  is  a  waitin, 
and  de  coffee  is  o:ittin  cold  in  de  baro^in.  Shake 
hands  and  make  it  up,  or  I'll  be  for  tellin  Mass 
George — the  principal — sure  as  preachin,  I  will." 

So  we  shook  hands  and  became  friends,  and  re- 
mained such  until  death  put  an  end  to  his  brilliant 
career,  more  than  thirty  years  afterward.  This  boy 
was  G-eorge  Otis,  whose  great  work  in  connection 
with  the  establishment  of  the  Army  Medical  Museum 
and  the  publication  of  the  "Surgical  History  of  the 
War"  is  appreciated  throughout  thecivilized  world. 


64  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  whose  high  character  and  amiable  disposition 
earned  for  him  the  friendship  and  respect  of  all 
who  were  brought  in  contact  with  him.  It  is  true 
that  circumstances  placed  us  on  opposite  sides  dur- 
ing the  war,  but  nothing  ever  interrupted  the  cur- 
rent of  the  warm  attachment  which  was  established 
between  us  on  that  cold  morning  in  the  wash-room 
at  Clarens  under  Tom's  auspices,  and  I  mourned 
his  death  as  if  he  had  been  one  of  my  own  house- 
hold. No  better  man  ever  lived,  and  the  service 
which  he  has  rendered  to  science  and  to  humanity 
will  stand  as  a  proud  and  enduring  monument  to 
his  memory  long  after  the  generation  that  knew 
him  has  passed  away  forever. 

This  encounter  produced  a  profound  sensation 
among  the  boys,  and  when  I  accepted  a  challenge 
for  a  wrestling  match  with  the  bully  of  the  school, 
and  succeeded  in  "  throwing  him,  the  best  two  out 
of  three,"  my  prowess  was  fully  acknowledged, 
and  I  had  no  trouble  from  that  time  forward. 

My  father,  who  was  less  of  a  practical  Christian 
in  those  days  than  in  later  life,  charged  me  when 
I  was  leaving  home  always  to  fight  when  in  a  diffi- 
culty, adding  that  it  was  the  surest  means  of  win- 
ning the  friendship  of  an  honorable  adversary,  and 
of  securing  an  exemption  from  future  indignities. 

At  any  rate  it  proved  a  trump  card  m  this  in- 
stance, for  it  saved  me  from  a. course  of  hazing  and 
made  me  the  most  popular  boy  in  the  school. 

•  It  was,  indeed,  a  fortunate  circumstance — as  I 
soon  di.scovered,  and  with  much  trepidation— that  the 
story  of  this  encounter  did  ^not  reach  the  ears  of  the 
principal,  for  he  would  have  regarded  me  in  the 
light  of  an  untamed  savage,  unfit  to  associate  with 
those  over  wdiose  ''conveWon"  he  had  labored  so 
faithfully,  and  I  should  have  been  sent  home  in  dis- 
grace. 


I 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  65 


LETTER   IV. 

EAELY  DAYS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  narration  of  this  incident  naturally  sun^gests 
the  subject  of  those  personal  affairs,  and  that  class  of 
so-called  fire-eaters  for  which  the  South  was  once 
notorious.  I  have  in  my  mind's  eye  as  I  look  back 
to  ante  helium  times  a  number  of  persons,  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  whose  existence  seemed  to  be  per- 
sonal difficulties,  and  whose  chief  delight  was  to 
think  and  to  talk  of  nothing  but  fighting. 

They  had  been  '^principals"  in  several  duels, 
they  had  been  engaged  in  street  fights  innumerable, 
they  had  devoted  themselves  exclusively  to  the 
study  of  the  ''code  of  honor,"  and  it  was  quite 
impossible  to  have  business  affairs  of  friendly  re- 
lations with  them  without  incurring  the  hazard  of 
being  held  responsible  or  called  out  upon  the  most 
trivial  pretext.  When  hostilities  threatened  they 
became  more  excited  and  bellicose  than  ever,  and 
they  raved  so  violently  of  the  slaughter  which  they 
proposed  to  make  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  that 
one  could  not  help  trembling  as  much  for  the  modi- 
cum of  intellect  which  Heaven  had  given  them  as 
for  the  foe  which  they  so  longed  to  meet  upon  the 
battle-field.  They  insulted  all  who  talked  of  peace 
and  compromise  ;  they  wore  huge  "cockades"  upon 
their  hats  and  "sprigs  of  palmetto"  in  their 
button-holes ;  and  they  raised  companies  of  soldiers, 
abused  theirneighbors  into  enlisting,  and  went  forth 


66  A  doctor's  experiences 


I 


to  the  fight  with  eyes  blurred  by  visions  of  the  blood 
which  w^as  to  flow  at  their  bidding,  and  brains  dazed 
by  calculations  of  the  graves  which  they  were  to 
fill  with  victims. 

But  alas  for  the  vanity  of  human  calculations  f 
The  places  which  knew  them  once— the  bar-rooms 
and  the  street-corners  of  their  native  towns — soon 
knew  them  again.  It  did  not  take  more  than  a 
skirmish  or  two  to  teach  them  that  they  had  mis- 
taken their  vocation ;  they  soon  learned  that  they 
had  "  no  stomachs  for  the  fight ;"  and  they  speedily 
made  the  demonstration  complete  that  those  to  • 
whom  personal  encounters  were  a  pastime  the  field  \ 
of  battle  had  no  attractions,  but,  on  the  contrary,  J 
a  power  of  repulsion  which  sent  them  to  their  home*  i 
wiser  men  and  better  citizens.  fl 

It  is  happily  true  that  with  the  "  surrender"  the 
entire  race  of  professional  duelists  and  fire-eaters 
disappeared  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  that 
the  code  of  honor  has  been  appealed  to  only  under 
exceptional  circumstances — in  such  emergencies  as 
must  occasionally  present  themselves  everywhere 
and  have  no  identification  with  a  special  section. :| 

There  is  one  thing  which  I  must  say,  and  to  which 
I  am  sure  you  will  agree,  notwithstanding  your 
amiable  character  and  your  respect  for  the  laws, 
the  practice  of  dueling  is  not  per  se  an  unmixed 
evil.  The  certainty  that  one  is  to  be  held  to  the 
strictest  responsibility  for  words  and  actions  exercises 
some  degree  of  restraint  upon  individuals  and  {ps(>' 
facto  protects  society  against  evils  which  cannot 
otherwise  be  reached  and  punished.  In  France, 
where  this  responsibility  amounts  practically  to 
nothing — for  a  blow  is  punished,  no  matter  whai 
may  have  been  the  provocation,  and  duels  are  so 
arranged  as  usually  to  be  bloodless — licentiousness 
under  every  conceivable  guise  is  rampant ;  while 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  67 

neither^  position  nor  character  nor  sanctity  of  the 
domestic  circle  is  a  safeguard  against  the  shaft  of 
malice  or  the  breath  of  slander. 

In  my  early  days  a  gentleman  in  the  South  could 
no  more  fail  to  send  or  to  accept  a  challenge,  when 
circumstances  justified  it,  than  he  could  refuse  to 
tell  the  truth  under  oath  ;  and  I  have  had  to  do 
both  in  my  time,  though  1  say  it  now  with  regret 
i  and  repentance.  One  of  these  instances  I  must" re- 
late, because  of  its  singular  conclusion. 

Not  long  after  I  had  commenced  the  practice  of 
medicine,  John  Hall,  the  negro-trader,   requested 
me  to  accompany  him  to  a  neighboring  village  to 
visit  one  of  his  slaves  who  was  said  to  be  very°  sick 
there.     We  took  the  steamer— the,  one  which  ran 
between   the  two  places   three  times  weekly,  and 
remained    only  half  an  hour  at   the    latter— and 
went  to  our  point  of  destination.    When  we  reached 
the  house  of  the  sick  man  we  found  that  the  doc- 
tor   in  regular  attendance  was   out  of  town,  and 
that  a    '^  consultation"   between  him  and   myself 
was,  therefore,  impossible.     As  we  had  but  half  an 
hour  to  remain  before  the  departure  of  the  boat, 
and  as  the  master  was  naturally  anxious  about  his 
slave,  for  he  was  worth  at  least  81,200  in  the  mar- 
ket, he  importuned  me  to  see  him,  and  I  agreed  to 
do   so   on    the   following   conditions,  viz :    that  I 
should   not   be   called  upon   to  express  an  opinion 
respecting  the    treatment    which    had    been  insti- 
tuted ;  that  I  should  only  give,  in  general  terms, 
an  opinion  as  to  the  chances  of  his  recovery,  and 
that  I  should  leave  a  sealed  note  for  the  physician 
explaining  the   circumstances  under  which  I  had 
seen  the  patient,  and  giving  him  my  views  of  the 
case.     These  conditions  were  accepted,  and  I  saw 
the  patient,  told   his   master  that  he  was  desper- 
ately ill^  and  left  a  sealed  note  for  the  doctor,  ex- 


68  A  doctor's  experiences 


\ 


pressing  my  views  of  the  case,  and  adding  thai  I 
should  return  on  the  following  Wednesday ,^  ^^'^^^% 
I  hnped  to  meet  him  in  consultation.     He  did   not| 
meet  me,  but  left  a  message  to  the  effect  that  I  hadl 
treated  him  unfairly  by  seeing  the  case  in  his  ab-  -« 
sence,  that  I  had  mistaken  the  side  upon  which  the 
pneumonia  existed,  and  that  he,  consequently,  de- 
clined the   consultation.     I  returned  home  imme- 
diately, and,  on  the  following  morning  at  an  early 
hour,  I  sent  a  friend  in  a  row-boat  to  his  place  of 
residence,   bearing  a  challenge  to  be  delivered  in 
the  event  of  his  refusing   to  apologize  for  his  con- 
duct. 

On  the  succeeding  day  my  friend  returned,  bring- 
ing with  him  an  apology  duly  signed  and  attested, 
and  I  thought  no  more  of  the  matter  until  it  was^ 
brought  to  my  attention  in  a  peculiar  manner| 
some  years  afterward. 

During  the  war  I  was  ordered  to  North  Carolina- 
and  made  a  member  of  a  board  duly  instructed  toj 
examine  all  medical  officers  connected  with  the  reg- 
iments then  serving  in  that  State  as  well  as  such 
others  as  might  apply  for  admission  to  the  medical 
stafP  of  the  army.  We  had  been  at  work  only  a 
day  or  two,  when  the  doctor  with  whom  I  had  had 
this  difficulty  presented  himself  for  examination, 
his  papers  showing  that  he  was  already  attached  to 
a  regiment  in  the  field.  He  was  abashed  when  he 
saw  me,  but  I  advanced  and  shook  hands  with  him, 
which  seemed  to  put  him  more  at  his  ease.  In  a 
brief  conversation  with  my  colleagues  I  obtained 
permission  to  examine  him  on  behalf  of  the  board, 
and  I  began  by  propounding  the  following  question: 
"  What  is  pneumonia  and  what  are  the  signs  by 
which  its  presence  is  indicated?"  He  gave  me  a 
look  of  utter  astonishment,  but  made  no  answer,  nor 
could  he  have  given  an  intellio-ent  one  had  his  soul's 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  69 

Isalvation  been  at  stake,  and  he  stood  confused  and 
ishaking  in  every  limb,  the  picture  of  utter  dismay. 
I  never  felt  so  keenly  for  any  one  in  my  life,  and  I 
was  utterly  disgusted  with  myself  for  having  asked 
the  question  under  the  circumstances.  I  walked 
up  to  him  and  said  in  an  undertone:  "Doctor, 
walk  into  the  ante-room  and  compose  yourself  a 
little.  I  am  deeply  pained  at  having  caused  you 
so  much  annoyance."  So  soon  as  he  left  the  room 
I  said  to  my  colleagues :  ' '  This  is  one  of  the  ablest 
practitioners  in  North  Carolina.  I  know  him  well 
|and  he  knows  as  much  about  medicine  as  we  do, 
ibut  he  is  too  much  confused  to  answer  a  question. 
|l  propose  that  we  pass  him  on  his  standing  as  a 
iphysician  without  an  examination."  They  as- 
sented, and  I  called  him  into  the  room  again  and 
[said  to  him:  ''Doctor,  we  have  considered  your 
lease,  and,  in  view  of  your  embarrassment,  we  have 
iconcluded  to  pass  you  without  examination  upon 
|your  known  standing  in  the  profession,  fully  as- 
jsured  that  you  know  as  much  about  medicine  as 
we  do."  The  teaa-s  came  into  his  eyes,  and  "I 
thank  you,  gentlemen/'  were  tlie  only  words  that 
he  could  command  on  the  occasion.  When  the 
board  adjourned  I  found  him  waiting  without;  and 
having  taken  me  apart,  he  said:  "Dr.  Warren,  I 
once  treated  you  like  a  brute,  and  you  have  re- 
venged yourself  by  treating  me  like  a  gentleman. 
While  I  live  you  will  have  a  warm  friend  ready  to 
die  for  you."  With  that  we  parted,  never  to  meet 
again. 

I  can  but  add  in  this  connection  that  the  war 
made  brave  men  of  those  who  had  been  considered 
cowards  previously.  I  well  remember  a  young 
mari,  named  Bob  Johnson,  who  had  been  noted 
during  his  entire  life  for  his  timidity  and  his 
weakness  of  character.     He  was  a  good-hearted  fel- 


70  A  doctor's  experiences 

low,  and  as  strong  as  a  giant  physically,  bat  h 
invariably  ''showed  the  white  feather"  in  the  houi 
of  trial  ;  and  when  it  was  said  of  any  one  in  that 
community,  "He  is  as  great  a  coward  as  Bob  John- 
son," it  was  considered  that  depreciation  could  not 
go  farther.  When  every  one  else  volunteered,  Bob 
followed  their  example — to  the  amusement  of  the 
whole  town — and  went  off  with  Captain  Skinner's 
company  to  join  the  1st  North  Carolina  Regiment, 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  w^ar  only  ten  of  the  one 
hundred  men  who  originally  composed  that  com 
pany  returned  to  their  homes,  and  Bob  was  among 
them,  his  body  covered  with  scars,  and  carrying 
in  his  pocket  a  commission  as  "First  Sergeant  of 
Company  A,  1st  North  Carolina  Regiment,"  with 
a  certificate  from  his  colonel^  stating  that  he  had 
been  pi'omoted  for  distinguished  bravery  on  many 
battle-fields."  When  I  questioned  him  in  regard 
to  his  experience  as  a  soldier,  he  told  me  that  for 
the  first  year  he  was  "frightened  nearly  to  death 
whenever  he  heard  a  gun  fired,  but  that  afterward 
he  "got  used  to  the  racket  and  came  rather  to  like 
it." 

Returning  to  the  school  from  which  I  have 
strolled  into  this  long  digression,  I  must  telTyou 
that  it  was  what  is  termed  a  "Church  School" — em 
institution  in  which  religious  instruction  was  given 
the  most  prominent  place  in  the  curriculum.  The 
principal  was  a  retired  Episcopal  minister^  and| 
though  as  pure  and  good  a  man  as  ever  lived,  h^ 
was  morbid  on  the  subject  of  "converting"  the 
boys  under  his  charge.  With  the  best  possible  in- 
tentions, he  made  the  Bible  and  the  church  so  dis- 
agreeable and  irksome  as  to  render  them  absolutely^ 
obnoxious  to  us.  | 

Besides,  there  was  a  theological  seminary  m 
the  immediate  neighborhood,  the  students  of  which 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  71 

regarded  us  as  furnishing  the  subjects  on  which  to 
exercise  and  perfect  their  faculty  for  saving  souls — 
just  as  the  Internes  of  hospitals  use  the  sick  and 
wounded  under  their  charge  to  perfect  their  studies 
and  to  prepare  themselves  for  their  prospective 
professional  work.  As  their  religion  was  that 
gloomy  and  revolting  kind  which  bases  its  exist- 
ence upon  the  terrors  of  the  law,  breathes  only  an 
atmosphere  of  fire  and  damnation,  and  makes  its 
professors  the  embodiment  of  misery  and  desj^ond- 
ency,  you  can  well  imagine  what  were  the  impres- 
sions made  upon  our  youthful  minds  in  regard  to 
this  vital  subject.  We  were  taught  that  the 
slightest  fun  was  a  dreadful  offense,  an  innocent  jest 
a  veritable  profanation,  a  hearty  laugh  a  real 
orime,  and  the  slightest  sigh  or  sign  of  weariness 
in  the  House  of  God — never  mind  how  many  times 
we  were  forced  to  enter  or  however  lono;  and  borins: 
the  sermon  might  be — the  "unpardonable  sin"  for 
which  the  bottomless  pit  had  been  especially  created 
and  was  held  in  certain  reserve. 

Each  seminarian  selected  some  hapless  boy,  and 
assumed,  as  it  were,  the  responsibility  of  his  salva- 
tion, praying  over  him,  preaching  to  him,  deluging 
him  with  "tracts,"  and  worrying  the  poor  fellow 
out  of  his  very  life  in  the  effort  to  "turn  him  from 
the  error  of  his  ways"  and  "to  save  his  soul 
alive,"  etc. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  be  appropriated  by  a  gentle- 
man somewhat  advanced  in  years,  as  innocent  as  a 
babe,  a  martyr  to  chronic  dyspepsia,  and  the  type 
of  a  religion  blacker  than  the  hinges  of  Hades,  and 
as  cheerless  as  the  tomb  of  a  mummy.  He  was  a 
pious  man  as  he  understood  the  term,  but  the  very 
last  one  for  the  work  for  which  he  believed  himself 
<:'hosen.  Some  one  else  had  been  called  when  he 
responded,  and  his   connection  with   the   ministry 


72  A  doctor's  experiences 

was  empliatically  a  case  of  mistaken  identity.  He 
may  have  found  a  resting  place  in  Heaven,  for  lie 
needed  aad  deserved  repose;  but  had  he  labored 
eternally  in  his  Master's  vineyard  his  work  would 
have  had  nothing  to  show  for  itself  when  the  day 
of  reckoning  arrived.  He  was  totally  unfitted  for 
his  mission — for  the  high  and  holy  calling  to  which 
he  had  consecrated  his  life — because  of  the  inher- 
ent weakness  of  his  physical  organism  and  the  mor- 
bid mental  condition  which  long  years  of  disease 
and  insomnia  had  developed  ;  but,  unconscious  of 
his  imperfections,  he  struggled  bravely  to  prepare 
for  the  ministry,  and  deluding  himself  with  dreams 
of  the  harvest  of  human  souls  which  awaited  his 
reaping,  and  the  ''crown  of  glory"  with  which  his 
labors  were  to  be  rewarded  in  the  end. 

He  certainly  labored  faithfully  to  keep  my  "feet 
in  the  right  path,"  and  despite  my  abhorrence  of  his 
religion,  and  the  annoyance  of  his  constant  surveil- 
la7ice,  I  came  to  like  the  old  man  ;  and  when  our 
intimacy  terminated  I  missed  him  greatly,  and 
often  sighed  for  his  companionship,  his  eternal 
prayers,  and  tuneless  hymns,  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

As  was  his  habit,  he  accompanied  me  on  one  of 
my  Saturday  excursions  to  Washington,  ostensibly 
to  see  the  sights  of  that  great  city,  but  really  to 
keep  me  out  of  the  snares  which  were  spread  for 
the  unwary,  and  on  our  return  he  insisted  that  I 
should  spend  the  night  with  him  at  the  seminary 
• — assured,  as  he  said,  that  the  principal  would  be 
content  to  have  me  do  so. 

I  yielded  to  his  entreaties  with  reluctance,  be- 
cause I  was  dreadfully  fatigued  and  desired  to  re- 
tire without  unnecessary  delay  either  in  scriptural 
reading  or  in  prayer  making. 

After  a  long  grace  and  a  poor  supper  we  went 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  73 

Tip  to  his  room,  where  he  proposed  prayers  as  a  pre- 
liminary to  retiring  for  the  night.  We  knelt  down 
reverently,  and  after  reading  some  time  from  the 
prayer  book,  he  started  off  upon  an  extemporaneous 
prayer,  which  he  began  with  some  excellent  advice 
to  the  Good  Lord  respecting  the  fall  of  Adam,  and 
ended — when  and  where  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
say,  as,  being  completely  overcome  by  fatigue,  I 
fell  asleep.  How  long  I  slept  I  have  no  means  of 
determining.  All  I  know  is  that  after  a  while 
consciousness  returned,  and  I  found  myself  still 
upon  my  knees,  the  candle  flickering  in  its  socket, 
and  my  clerical  friend  in  bed  snoring  loudly, 
^' tired  nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep"  hav- 
ing overtaken  him  as  he  waited  lor  the  conclusion 
of  my  supposed  devotions.  I  crept  stealthily  to 
bed,  and  when  I  awakened  on  the  succeeding  morn- 
ing, the  good  old  man  was  standing  at  my  bedside 
with  upturned  eyes  and  lifted  arms,  "thanking 
God,"  as  he  said,  "for  the  answer  which  had  come 
to  his  prayers,  as  manifested  in  the  occurrence  of 
the  previous  night,  when  a  Christian  hoy  had  found 
the  strength  to  continue  his  prayers  when  he,  a 
Christian  maUy  had  been  compelled  to  give  up  from 
physical  exhaustion,  and  retire  to  his  bed  and  sleep. 
I  made  no  comment,  but  dressed  hurriedly,  and  after 
listening  to  a  long  prayer  from  the  theologian — 
which  came  near  putting  me  to  sleep  again — bade 
adieu  to  my  delighted  host  and  returned  to  school. 
On  the  succeeding  day  the  principal  sent  for  me, 
told  me  of  the  flattering  terms  in  which  the  semi- 
narian had  spoken  of  my  good  conduct  and  great 
piety;  gave  me  permission  to  "pass  bounds"  at 
discretion;  offered  his  private  study  for  my  "daily 
devotions;"  and  from  that  time  forward  treated 
me  with  pre-eminent  respect  and  consideration.  I 
suppose  it  was  my  duty  to  explain,  but  these  good 


74  A  doctor's  experiences    . 

Christians  were  made  so  bappy  at  this  practical 
proof  of  the  success  of  their  labors,  and  I  was  re- 
lieved from  such  an  amount  of  persecution  that  I 
determined  to  preserve  a  judicious  silence,  and  to 
let  things  take  their  natural  course. 

I  saw  but  little  of  my  friend,  the  seminarian, 
after  this  incident,  although  he  continued  to  send 
^'tracts"  and  to  write  letters — so  as  to  confirm 
and  strengthen  my  faith,  as  he  expressed  it — for, 
thinking  his  work  completed  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, he  devoted  his  time  and  talents  to  the  con- 
version of  another  boy,  and  left  me  to  my  devotions. 

Was  this  an  instance  of  the  luch  to  which  I  have 
referred,  or  was  it  a  Providential  interposition? 
Of  one  thing  I  am  sure  in  this  connection  :  had 
these  persecutions  continued  they  would  have  com- 
pletely destroyed  the  seeds  of  religion  which  my 
mother  had  sown  so  carefully  in  my  heart  and  left 
me  utterly  and  hopelessly  without  faith  of  any  de- 
scription. As  it  was,  they  were  terribly  blighted 
and  it  required  many  a  long  year  of  faithful  nurs- 
ing by  a  tender  and  loving  hand  to  revivify  them. 

Let  me  ask  you,  my  dear  Doctor,  before  proceed- 
ing with  this  history,  how  it  is  that  such  radical 
mistakes  are  made  in  the  choice  of  professions  ? 
Take  the  ministry,  for  instance.  Is  there  one 
preacher  in  a  thousand  who  has  any  special  fitness 
for  his  mission — who  was  made  for  the  pulpit  ?  Is 
it  not  only  in  exceptional  instances  that  one  is  to  be 
found  who  is  anything  more  than  a  stumbling  block 
in  the  path  of  humanity,  or  who  does  more  than 
mechanically  and  monotonously  point  out  the  right 
path  to  sinners?  How  many  of  the  clergy  can  you 
name  who  in  daily  walk  or  in  the  discharge  of  their 
sacred  trust  are  veritable  exemplars  of  the  creed 
which  they  pretend  to  preach,  and  real  followers  of 
the  Divinity  whom  they  profess  to  worship?    Take 


( 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  75 

the  medical  profession  as  another  illustration. 
Who  of  those  who  hold  the  degree  can  you  vouch 
for  as  true  physicians,  genuine  ministers  of  mercy, 
and  real  devotees  of  science  ?  How  many  are  there 
to  whom  the  practice  of  medicine  is  anything  more 
than  a  matter  of  routine  or  a  ladder  for  personal 
ambition  ?  How  long  is  the  list  of  those  who  seek 
to  penetrate  the  surface  of  objective  phenomena,  to 
soar  to  the  heights  of  discovery,  and  to  write  their 
names  upon  the  records  of  medicine  and  in  the 
history  of  the  age?  Alas  !  you  know  full  well  that 
"but  too  many  are  satisfied  with  the  merest  smatter- 
ing of  medical  knowledge,  content  with  the  crudest 
washings  from  the  mines  of  science,  and  aspire  to 
nothing  beyond  the  foot-prints  of  their  predecessors, 
without  giving  a  thought  to  the  elevation  of  them- 
selves and  the  advancement  of  their  profession  ! 

One  of  the  strangest  things,  too^.  is  the  desire 
which  medical  men  manifest  to  become  teachers  of 
medicine,  while  the  intensity  of  this  aspiration 
seems  to  have  an  inverse  ratio  to  their  ability  to 
impart  instruction.  There  seems  to  be  a  charm 
about  the  title  of  "  Professor"  which  it  is  difficult 
for  many  physicians  to  resist,  and  they  seek  it  with 
the  rapacity  of  sharks  in  pursuit  of  their  prey.  I 
am  sure  these  observations  will  immediately  recall 
to  your  memory  a  mutual  friend  who  once  figured 
in  this  mistaken  role.  Of  an  unprepossessing  ap- 
pearance ;  with  a  superciliousness  almost  unparal- 
leled; having  a  voice  which  resembled  more  that 
of  a  sick  crow  than  of  a  human  being  ;  imperfectly 
educated  in  all  regards,  but  especially  so  in  the 
branch  which  he  represented,  and  without  a  single 
professional  gift,  or  grace,  or  accomplishment,  he 
gloried  in  his  title,  and  imagined  himself  unrivaled 
as  a  lecturer.  The  style  of  his  descent  from  his 
carriage,  the   ceremony    of  his  entrance   into  the 


"76  A  doctor's  experiences 

lecture-room,  and  the  pomposity  of  his  performance 
on  the  rostrum,  were  a  study  in  themselves,  and 
would  have  lurnished  a  choice  theme  for  the  pen  of 
a  Dickens  or  a  Thackeray.  No  man  could  have 
witnessed  the  fantastic  performances  of  this  "  great 
professor"  without  splitting  his  sides  with  laughter 
or  garnering  in  his  memory  a  perpetual  source  of 
diversion  and  amusement.  In  short,  his  manner 
and  style  were  so  unique,  extraordinary,  prepos- 
terous, and  ridiculous  as  to  transcend  the  power  of 
words  to  describe  or  to  perpetuate.  For  a  while 
the  students  restrained  their  disgust  and  submitted 
unmurmuringly  to  his  assumptions,  but  when  they 
discovered  that  his  examinations  were  as  rigid  as 
if  he  were  really  capable  of  imparting  instruction — 
actually  had  a  right  to  expect  his  hearers  to  know 
something  of  the  subject,  which  his  lecture  only 
served  to  obscure  and  complicate — they  perempto- 
rily refused  to  permit  him  to  lecture.  Whenever 
he  presented  himself,  they  overwhelmed  him  with 
a})plause,  cheering  and  encoring  him  at  the  highest 
pitch  of  their  voices,  and  drowning  his  every  word 
in  a  tempest  of  noisy  demonstrations.  It  was  ia 
vain  that  he  tried  first  to  cajole  and  then  to  threaten 
them — he  was  persistently  received  in  the  same  way 
until  mortified  and  beaten  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  the  rostrum.  The  authorities  of  the 
College  intervened  without  effect,  and  he  finally 
came  to  me  and  earnestly  solicited  my  assistance. 
Although  I  could  but  sympathize  with  the  students, 
I  felt  that  they  were  in  the  wrong — that  they  had 
taken  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  were  in  a 
state  of  actual  rebellion — and  I  promised  to  inter- 
pose and  to  use  my  influence  to  relieve  him  from 
his  painful  dilemma.  On  the  succeeding  day  I 
premised  my  lecture  by  saying  :  Gentlemen,  I  am 
sure  you  will  admit  that  I  have  tried  to  do  my  duty 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  77 

as  a  professor  in  this  school,  and  will  recognize  in 
me  a  friend  to  each  and  to  all  of  you.  1  have  then 
a  favor  to  ask,  and  to  reinforce  it  hy  what  some 
might  call  a  threat.  I  want  you  to  promise  me 
tliat  you  will  permit  the  Professor  of to  con- 
tinue his  lectures  ;  and  as  you  desire  the  vote  of 
the  Professor  of  Surgery,  I  am  confident  you  will 
not  disturb  him  again."  This  was  received  with  a 
round  of  applause,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  won  the  day 
for  my  colleague — and  such  really  proved  to  be  the 
case,  for  he  had  no  difficulry  with  the  class  from 
that  time  forward.  Now,  what  do  you  suppose  was 
my  recompense  for  this  friendly  and  successful  in- 
tervention ?  It  was  nothing  less  than  the  eternal 
hatred  of  him  who  had  thus  been  saved  from  dis- 
grace and  ruin.  He  affected  to  believe  that  I  was 
the  author  of  the  conspiracy,  and  that  the  class  had 
finally  yielded  against  my  real  wishes^  influenced 
solely  by  the  apprehension  of  losing  so  valued  a 
teacher. 

Beware,  my  dear  friend,  of  an  inherent  fool  whose 
heart  is  surcharged  with  vanity,  for  of  all  men  he 
is  least  to  be  trusted  and  the  surest  to  prove  un- 
grateful. Besides,  I  had  rather  rely  upon  the  con- 
sideration of  a  rabid  dog  than  the  gratitude  of  a 
resuscitated  viper. 


78  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  V. 

AX  EPISODE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Availing  myself  of  the  privilege  secured  by 
"early  piety,"  as  I  have  fully  explained  in  a  pre- 
ceding page  of  this  narrative,  I  have  indeed  gone 
beyond  -'school  bounds"  in  the  foregoing  disserta- 
tion on  human  folly,  incompetency,  and  ingrati- 
tude. I  must  beg  you,  therefore,  to  return  with 
me  to  Fairfax,  and  to  let  me  talk  again  of  my 
schpol  days. 

I  frequently  visited  a  neighboring  town  in  com- 
pany with  Landon  Eliason,  a  comrade  over  whose 
early  grave  I  have  since  shed  many  a  tear.  His 
mother  belonged  to  the  Carter  family,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  of  the  State,  and  she  was  as  splen- 
did a  specimen  of  womanhood  as  ever  I  met. 
Within  her  hospitable  doors  some  of  my  happiest 
days  were  spent,  and  I  can  but  speak  of  her  with 
gratitude  and  pleasure.  At  that  time  she  was  liv- 
ing with  her  aged  and  infirm  mother,  dispensing 
that  generous  and  genial  hospitality  for  which  her 
race  had  so  long  been  distinguished,  even  in  old 
Virginia.  She  had  several  sons,  all  remarkable 
for  their  personal  beauty  and  accomplishments,, 
and  it  was  her  delight  to  assemble  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  town  under  her  roof  for  their  entertain- 
ment and  diversion.  At  one  of  these  gatherings  T 
met  a  beautiful  girl,  and  fell  in  love  with  her — so 
desperately,  in  fact,  that  for  many  a  long  year  she 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  79 

was  the  star  that  guided  me  and  the  divinity  at 
whose  shrine  I  worshiped. 

Of  sylph-like  figure,  as  graceful  as  a  fawn,  with 
an  eye  in  which  the  sunlight  of  Heaven  Avas  mir- 
rored, and  a  voice  that  was  music  idealized,  she 
was  the  most  consummate  flirt  that  a  southern  sun 
ever  developed.  Every  boy  above  sixteen  loved 
her  to  distraction,  and  each  believed  himself  the 
special  object  of  her  affections.  To  me  she  seemed 
a  vision  of  perfect  beauty — a  glimpse  of  Paradise — 
a  special  revelation  from  Heaven — and  I  loved  her 
with  all  the  fervor  and  idolatry  of  an  intensely  po- 
etic and  sensitive  nature. 

I  told  you  that  she  was  inherently  a  flirt,  and  I 
willgiveyouoneof  my  reasonsfor believing  so.  One 
night  Landon  and  I  walked  home  with  her,  for 
friends  as  we  were,  neither  had  an  idea  of  giving 
the  other  the  slightest  advantage  so  far  as  she  was 
concerned.  Seizing  a  favorable  opportunity,  I 
slipped  my  hand  within  the  muff  which  she  car- 
ried, and  after  a  brief  interval  I  was  delighted  to 
touch  a  handSvhich  closed  upon  mine  responsively. 
For  about  three  hundred  yards  of  space,  though  it 
seemed  but  a  single  instant  of  time,  I  was  the  hap- 
piest of  mortals,  believing  that  while  she  talked  to 
my  friend  in  honeyed  words,  I  held  her  hand  in 
loving  embrace  and  possessed  her  heart  as  well. 
Just  as  she  reached  her  mother's  door  she  held  up 
her  hands  exultingly,  and  w4th  the  merriest  laugh 
that  ever  broke  the  stillness  of  the  solemn  night, 
exclaimed:  ''Well,  young  men,  how  do  you  like 
each  other's  hands?"  when  Landon  and  I  discov- 
ered that  we  were  "  sold,"  for  both  of  us  had  exe- 
cuted the  same  manoeuver  as  regards  the  muff',  and 
we  had  been  squeezing  each  other's  hands  instead 
of  our  sweetheart's  for  the  entire  distance. 

I  returned  to  school  in  a  dreadful  state  of  mind 


80  A  doctor's  experiences 

— desperately  in  love  and  utterly  despondent — - 
and,  without  any  previous  knowledge  of  the  pos- 
session of  the  ''poetic  gift,"  1  wrote  upon  the 
blank  page  of  the  Livy  that  I  pretended  to  study 
the  following  Byronic  effusion  : 

Oh !  for  a  drop  from  Lethe's  stream 

That  flowed  in  days  of  yore — 
A  drop  to  snatch  me  from  this  dream 

And  make  me  love  no  more ; 
A  drop  from  INIemory's  page  to  blot 

Each  line  that's  written  there, 
A  drop  to  make  my  future  lot 

Oblivion — not  despair. 

This  depression  was  not  of  long  duration.  It 
was  replaced,  if  not  by  a  hopeful  state  of  mind,  at 
least  by  a  determination  to  win  the  prize  at  all 
hazards,  and  without  regard  to  the  time  requiied 
for  the  task.  A  new  life  was  born  within  me,  and 
I  became  at  once  the  most  earnest  and  studious  of 
boys.  From  that  moment  I  stood  at  the  head  of  my 
classes  and  carried  off  the  highest  marks  in  all  the 
public  examinations.  My  pride  and  ambition  were 
stimulated  to  the  highest  degree  and  I  determined 
to  make  a  name  for  myself,  not  only  in  the  little 
world  of  Clarens  but  in  the  grander  arena  of  real 
life.  Much  of  what  I  have  accomplished  since,  at 
school,  in  the  University,  and  wherever  my  destiny 
has  been  cast,  is  due  to  the  direct  influence  of  the 
passion  which  this  young  girl  inspired — to  the  as- 
piration to  excel,  the  power  of  concentration,  and 
the  fixedness  of  purpose  which  it  developed  within 
me. 

The  finale  of  this  affair  is  sufficiently  interesting 
to  bear  relating.  Six  years  afterward  I  found  my- 
self at ,  en  route  to   Pliiladelphia  to   complete 

my  medical  studies.     I  had  made  this  long  detour 
because  I  desired  to  hear  from  her  who  had  so  long 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  65 


LETTER   IV. 

EAELY  DAYS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  narration  of  this  incident  naturally  suggests 
the  subject  of  those  personal  affairs,  and  that  class  of 
so-called  fire-eaters  for  which  the  South  was  once 
notorious.  I  have  in  my  mind's  eye  as  I  look  back 
to  ante  helium  times  a  number  of  persons,  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  whose  existence  seemed  to  be  per- 
sonal difficulties,  and  whose  chief  delight  was  to 
think  and  to  talk  of  nothing  but  fighting. 

They  had  been  '^principals"  in  several  duels, 
they  had  been  engaged  in  street  fights  innumerable, 
they  had  devoted  themselves  exclusively  to  the 
study  of  the  ''code  of  honor,"  and  it  was  quite 
impossible  to  have  business  affairs  of  friendly  re- 
lations with  them  without  incurring  the  hazard  of 
being  held  responsible  or  called  out  upon  the  most 
trivial  pretext.  When  hostilities  threatened  they 
became  more  excited  and  bellicose  than  ever,  and 
they  raved  so  violently  of  the  slaughter  which  they 
proposed  to  make  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  that 
one  could  not  help  trembling  as  much  for  the  modi- 
cum of  intellect  which  Heaven  had  given  them  as 
for  the  foe  which  they  so  longed  to  meet  upon  the 
battle-field.  They  insulted  all  who  talked  of  peace 
and  compromise  ;  they  wore  huge  "cockades"  upon 
their  hats  and  "sprigs  of  palmetto"  in  their 
button-holes ;  and  they  raised  companies  of  soldiers, 
abused  their  neighbors  into  enlisting,  and  went  forth 


66  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  the  fight  with  eyes  blurred  by  visions  of  the  blood 
which  w^as  to  flow  at  their  bidding,  and  brains  dazed 
by  calculations  of  the  graves  which  they  were  to 
fill  with  victims. 

But  alas  for  the  vanity  of  human  calculations  !' 
The  places  which  knew  them  once — the  bar-rooms 
and  the  street-corners  of  their  native  towns— soon 
knew  them  again.  It  did  not  take  more  than  a 
skirmish  or  two  to  teach  them  that  they  had  mis- 
taken their  vocation ;  they  soon  learned  that  they 
had  "  no  stomachs  for  the  fight  ;"  and  they  speedily 
made  the  demonstration  complete  that  those  ta 
whom,  personal  encounters  were  a  pastime  the  field 
of  battle  had  no  attractions,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
a  power  of  repulsion  which  sent  them  to  their  homes- 
wiser  men  and  better  citizens. 

It  is  happily  true  that  with  the  "  surrender"  the 
entire  race  of  professional  duelists  and  fire-eaters 
disappeared  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  that 
the  code  of  honor  has  been  appealed  to  only  under 
exceptional  circumstances — in  such  emergencies  as 
must  occasionally  present  themselves  everywhere 
and  have  no  identification  with  a  special  section.' 

There  is  one  thing  which  I  must  say,  and  to  which 
I  am  sure  you  will  agree,  notwithstanding  your 
amiable  character  and  your  respect  for  the  laws,, 
the  practice  of  dueling  is  not  per  se  an  unmixed 
evil.  The  certainty  that  one  is  to  be  held  to  the 
strictest  responsibility  for  words  and  actions  exercises 
some  degree  of  restraint  upon  individuals  and  ipso 
facto  protects  society  against  evils  which  cannot 
otherwise  be  reached  and  punished.  In  France, 
where  this  responsibility  amounts  practically  to 
nothing — for  a  blow  is  punished,  no  matter  what 
may  have  been  the  provocation,  and  duels  are  so 
arranged  as  usually  to  be  bloodless — licentiousness 
under  every  conceivable  guise  is  rampant ;  while 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  '  6T 

neither  position  nor  character  nor  sanctity  of  the 
domestic  circle  is  a  safeguard  against  the  shaft  of 
malice  or  the  breath  of  slander. 

In  my  early  days  a  gentleman  in  the  South  could 
no  more  fail  to  send  or  to  accept  a  challenge,  when 
circumstances  justified  it,  than  he  could  refuse  to 
tell  the  truth  under  oath  ;  and  I  have  had  to  do 
both  in  my  time,  though  1  say  it  now  with  regret 
and  repentance.  One  of  these  instances  I  must  re- 
late, because  of  its  singular  conclusion. 

Not  long  after  I  had  commenced  the  practice  of 
medicine,  John  Hall,  the  negro-trader,  requested 
me  to  accompany  him  to  a  neighboring  village  to 
visit  one  of  his  slaves  who  was  said  to  be  very  sick 
there.  We  took  the  steamer — the  one  which  ran 
between  the  two  places  three  times  weekly,  and 
remained  only  half  an  hour  at  the  latter — and 
went  to  our  point  of  destination.  When  we  reached 
the  house  of  the  sick  man  we  found  that  the  doc- 
tor in  regular  attendance  w^as  out  of  town,  and 
that  a  "consultation"  between  him  and  myself 
was,  therefore,  impossible.  As  we  had  but  half  an 
hour  to  remain  before  the  departure  of  the  boat, 
and  as  the  master  was  naturally  anxious  about  his 
slave,  for  he  was  worth  at  least  81,200  in  the  mar- 
ket, he  importuned  me  to  see  him,  and  I  agreed  to 
do  so  on  the  following  conditions,  viz :  that  I 
should  not  be  called  upon  to  express  an  opinion 
respecting  the  treatment  which  had  been  insti- 
tuted ;  that  I  should  only  give,  in  general  terms, 
an  opinion  as  to  the  chances  of  his  recovery,  and 
that  I  should  leave  a  sealed  note  for  the  physician 
explaining  the  circumstances  under  which  I  had 
seen  the  patient,  and  giving  him  my  views  of  the 
case.  These  conditions  w^ere  accepted,  and  I  saw 
the  patient,  told  his  master  that  he  was  desper- 
ately ill,  and  left  a  sealed  note  for  the  doctor,  ex- 


68  A  doctor's  experiences 

pressing  my  views  of  the  case,  and  adding  that  I 
should  retdrn  on  the  following  Wednesday,  when 
I  hoped  to  meet  him  in  consultation.  He  did  not 
meet  me,  but  left  a  message  to  tlie  effect  that  I  had 
treated  him  unfairly  by  seeing  the  case  in  his  ab- 
sence, that  I  had  mistaken  the  side  upon  which  the 
pneumonia  existed,  and  that  he,  consequently,  de- 
clined the  consultation.  I  returned  home  imme- 
diately, and,  on  the  following  morning  at  an  early 
hour,  I  sent  a  friend  in  a  row-boat  to  his  place  of 
residence,  bearing  a  challenge  to  be  delivered  in 
the  event  of  his  refusing  to  apologize  for  his  C(m- 
duct. 

On  the  succeeding  day  my  friend  returned,  bring- 
ing with  him  an  apology  duly  signed  and  attested, 
and  I  thought  no  more  of  the  matter  until  it  was 
brought  to  my  attention  in  a  peculiar  manner, 
some  years  afterward. 

During  the  war  I  w^as  ordered  to  North  Carolina 
and  made  a  member  of  a  board  duly  instructed  to 
examine  all  medical  officers  connected  with  the  i-eg- 
iments  then  serving  in  that  State  as  well  as  such 
others  as  might  apply  for  admission  to  the  medical 
staff  of  the  army.  We  had  been  at  work  only  a 
day  or  two,  when  the  doctor  w^ith  whom  I  had  had 
this  difficulty  presented  himself  for  examination, 
his  papers  showing  that  he  was  already  attached  to 
a  regiment  in  the  field.  He  was  abashed  when  he 
saw  me,  but  I  advanced  and  shook  hands  with  him, 
which  seemed  to  put  him  more  at  his  ease.  In  a 
brief  conversation  with  my  colleagues  I  obtained 
permission  to  examine  him  on  behalf  of  the  board, 
and  I  began  by  propounding  the  following  question : 
"  What  is  pneumonia  and  what  are  the  signs  by 
which  its  presence  is  indicated?"  He  gave  me  a 
look  of  utter  astonishment,  but  made  no  answer,  nor 
could  he  have  given  an  intelligent  one  had  his  soul's 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  69 

salvation  been  at  stake,  and  he  stood  confused  and 
shaking  in  every  limb,  the  picture  of  utter  dismay. 
I  never  felt  so  keenly  for  any  one  in  my  life,  and  I 
was  utterly  disgusted  with  myself  for  having  asked 
the  question  under  the  circumstances.  I  walked 
up  to  him  and  said  in  an  undertone:  "Doctor, 
walk  into  the  ante-room  and  compose  yourself  a 
little.  I  am  deeply  pained  at  having  caused  you 
so  much  annoyance."  So  soon  as  he  left  the  room 
I  said  to  my  colleagues :  ' '  This  is  one  of  the  ablest 
practitioners  in  North  Carolina.  I  know  him  well 
and  he  knows  as  much  about  medicine  as  we  do, 
but  he  is  too  much  confused  to  answer  a  question. 
I  propose  that  we  pass  him  on  his  standing  as  a 
physician  without  an  examination."  They  as- 
sented, and  I  called  him  into  the  room  again  and 
said  to  him:  ''Doctor,  we  have  considered  your 
case,  and,  in  view  of  your  embarrassment,  we  have 
concluded  to  pass  you  without  examination  upon 
your  known  standing  in  the  profession,  fully  as- 
sured that  you  know  as  much  about  medicine  as 
we  do."  The  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  "I 
thank  you,  gentlemen/'  were  tlie  only  words  that 
he  could  command  on  the  occasion.  When  the 
board  adjourned  I  found  him  waiting  without ;  and 
having  taken  me  apart,  he  said:  "Dr.  Warren,  I 
once  treated  you  like  a  brute,  and  you  have  re- 
venged yourself  by  treating  me  like  a  gentleman. 
While  I  live  you  will  have  a  warm  friend  ready  to 
die  for  you."  With  that  we  parted,  never  to  meet 
agai  n . 

I  can  but  add  in  this  connection  that  the  war 
made  brave  men  of  those  who  had  been  considered 
cowards  previously.  I  well  remember  a  young 
man,  named  Bob  Johnson,  who  had  been  noted 
during  his  entire  life  for  his  timidity  and  his 
weakness  of  character.     He  was  a  good-hearted  fel- 


,70  A  doctor's  experiences 

low,  and  as  strong  as  a  giant  physically,  but  he 
invariably  "showed  the  white  feather"  in  the  hour 
of  trial  ;  and  when  it  was  said  of  any  one  in  that 
community,  "He  is  as  great  a  coward  as  Bob  John- 
son," it  was  considered  that  depreciation  coukl  not 
go  farther.  When  everyone  else  volunteered,  Bob 
followed  their  example — to  the  amusement  of  the 
whole  town — and  went  off  with  Captain  Skinner's 
company  to  join  the  1st  North  Carolina  Regiment. 
At  tlie  conclusion  of  the  war  only  ten  of  the  one 
hundred  men  who  originally  composed  that  com- 
pany returned  to  their  homes,  and  Bob  was  among 
them,  his  body  covered  with  scars,  and  carrying 
in  his  pocket  a  commission  as  "First  Sergeant  of 
Company  A,  1st  North  Carolina  Regiment,"  with 
a  certificate  from  his  colonel^  stating  that  he  had 
been  pi'omoted  for  distinguished  bravery  on  many 
battle-fields."  When  I  questioned  him  in  regard 
to  his  experience  as  a  soldier,  he  told  me  that  for 
the  first  year  he  was  "frightened  nearly  to  death 
whenever  he  heard  a  gun  fired,  but  that  afterward 
he  "got  used  to  the  racket  and  came  rather  to  like 
it." 

Returning  to  the  school  from  which  I  have 
strolled  into  this  long  digression,  I  must  tell  you 
that  it  was  what  is  termed  a  "Church  School" — an 
institution  in  which  religious  instruction  was  given 
the  most  prominent  place  in  the  curriculum.  The 
principal  was  a  retired  Episcopal  minister^  and 
though  as  pure  and  good  a  man  fis  ever  lived,  he 
was  morbid  on  the  subject  of  "converting"  the 
boys  under  his  charge.  With  the  best  possible  in- 
tentions, he  made  the  Bible  and  the  church  so  dis- 
agreeable and  irksome  as  to  render  them  absolutely 
obnoxious  to  us. 

Besides,  there  was  a  theological  seminary  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood,  the  students  of  which 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  Tl 

reo'arded  us  as  furnisliing  the  subjects  on  which  to 
exercise  and  perfect  their  faculty  for  saving  souls — 
just  as  the  Internes  of  hospitals  use  the  sick  and 
wounded  under  their  charge  to  perfect  their  studies 
and  to  prepare  themselves  for  their  prospective 
profiessional  work.  As  their  religion  was  that 
gloomy  and  revolting  kind  which  bases  its  exist- 
ence upon  the  terrors  of  the  law,  breathes  only  an 
atmosphere  of  fire  and  damnation,  and  makes  its 
professors  the  embodiment  of  misery  and  despond- 
ency, you  can  well  imagine  what  were  the  impres- 
sions made  upon  our  youthful  minds  in  regard  to 
this  vital  subject.  We  were'  taught  that  the 
slightest  fun  was  a  dreadful  offease,  an  innocent  jest 
a  veritable  profanation,  a  hearty  laugh  a  real 
crime,  and  the  slightest  sigh  or  sign  of  weariness 
in  the  House  of  Grod — never  mind  how  many  times 
we  were  forced  to  enter  or  however  long  and  boring 
the  sermon  might  be — the  "unpardonable  sin"'  for 
which  the  bottomless  pit  had  been  especially  created 
and  was  held  in  certain  reserve. 

Each  seminarian  selected  some  hapless  boy,  and 
assumed,  as  it  were,  the  responsibility  of  his  salva- 
tion, praying  over  him,  preaching  to  him,  deluging 
him  with  "tracts,"  and  worrying  the  poor  fellow 
out  of  his  very  life  in  the  effort  to  "turn  him  from 
the  error  of  his  ways"  and  "to  save  his  soul 
alive,"  etc. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  be  appropriated  by  a  gentle- 
man somewhat  advanced  in  years,  as  innocent  as  a 
babe,  a  martyr  to  chronic  dyspepsia,  and  the  type 
oTa  religion  blacker  than  the  hinges  of  Hades,  and 
as  cheerless  as  the  tomb  of  a  mummy.  He  was  a 
pious  man  as  he  understood  the  term,  but  the  very 
last  one  for  the  work  for  which  he  believed  himself 
chosen.  Some  one  else  had  been  called  when  he 
responded,  and  his   connection  with   the   ministry 


72  A  doctor's  experiences 

was  empliaticaily  a  case  of  Qiistaken  identity.  He 
may  have  found  a  resting  place  in  Heaven,  for  lie 
needed  and  deserved  repose;  but  had  he  laboretl 
eternally  in  his  Master's  vineyard  his  work  would 
have  had  nothing  to  show  for  itself  when  the  day 
of  reckoning  arrived.  He  was  totally  untitted  for 
his  mission — for  the  high  and  holy  calling  to  which 
he  had  consecrated  his  life — because  of  the  inher- 
ent weakness  of  his  physical  organism  and  the  mor- 
bid mental  condition  which  long  years  of  disease 
and  insomnia  had  developed  ;  but,  unconscious  of 
his  imperfections,  he  struggled  bravely  to  prepare 
for  the  ministry,  and  deluding  himself  with  dreams 
of  the  harvest  of  human  souls  which  awaited  his 
reaping,  and  the  "crown  of  glory  "  with  which  his 
labors  were  to  be  rewarded  in  the  end. 

He  certainly  labored  faithfully  to  keep  my  ' '  feet 
in  the  right  path,"  and  despite  my  abhorrence  of  his 
religion,  and  the  annoyance  of  his  constant  surveil- 
lance, I  came  to  like  the  old  man  ;  and  when  our 
intimacy  terminated  I  missed  him  greatly,  and 
often  sighed  for  his  companionship,  his  eternal 
prayers,  and  tuneless  hymns,  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. 

As  was  his  habit,  he  accompanied  me  on  one  of 
my  Saturday  excursions  to  Washington,  ostensibly 
to  see  the  sights  of  that  great  city,  but  really  to 
keep  me  out  of  the  snares  which  were  spread  for 
the  unwary,  and  on  our  return  he  insisted  that  I 
should  spend  the  night  with  him  at  the  seminary 
— assured,  as  he  said,  that  the  principal  would  be 
content  to  have  me  do  so. 

I  yielded  to  his  entreaties  with  reluctance,  be- 
cause I  was  dreadfully  fatigued  and  desired  to  re- 
tire without  unnecessary  delay  either  in  scriptural 
reading  or  in  [jrayer  making. 

After  a  long  grace  and  a  poor  supper  we  went 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  73 

u\)  to  his  room,  where  he  proposed  prayers  as  a  pre- 
liminary to  retiring  for  the  night.  We  knelt  down 
reverently,  and  after  reading  some  time  from  the 
prayer  book,  he  started  off  upon  an  extemporaneous 
prayer,  which  he  began  with  some  excellent  advice 
to  the  Good  Lord  respecting:  the  fall  of  Adam,  and 
ended — when  and  where  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
say,  as,  being  completely  overcome  by  fatigue,  I 
fell  asleep.  How  long  I  slept  I  have  no  means  of 
determining.  All  I  know  is  that  after  a  while 
consciousness  returned,  and  I  found  myself  still 
upon  my  knees,  the  candle  flickering  in  its  socket, 
and  my  clerical  friend  in  bed  snoring  loudly, 
^Hired  nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep"  hav- 
ing overtaken  him  as  he  waited  for  the  conclusion 
of  my  supposed  devotions.  I  crept  stealthily  to 
bed,  and  when  1  awakened  on  the  succeeding  morn- 
ing, the  good  old  man  was  standing  at  my  bedside 
with  upturned  eyes  and  lifted  arms,  "thanking 
God,"  as  he  said,  "for  the  answer  which  had  come 
to  his  prayers,  as  manifested  in  the  occurrence  of 
the  previous  night,  when  a  Christian  boy\va,d  found 
the  strength  to  continue  his  prayers  when  he,  a 
Christian  man,  had  been  compelled  to  give  up  from 
physical  exhaustion,  and  retire  to  his  bed  and  sleep. 
I  made  no  comment,  but  dressed  hurriedly,  and  after 
listening  to  a  long  prayer  from  the  theologian — 
which  came  near  putting  me  to  sleep  again — bade 
adieu  to  my  delighted  host  and  returned  to  school. 
On  the  succeeding  day  the  principal  sent  for  me, 
told  me  of  the  flattering  terms  in  which  the  semi- 
narian had  spoken  of  my  good  conduct  and  great 
piety;  gave  me  permission  to  "pass  bounds"  at 
discretion;  ofi'ered  his  private  study  for  my  "daily 
devotions;"  and  from  that  time  forward  treated 
me  with  pre-eminent  respect  and  consideration.  I 
suppose  it  w^as  my  duty  to  explain,  but  these  good 


*74  A  doctor's  experiexcks 

Christians  were  made  so  happy  at  this  practical 
proof  of  the  success  of  their  labors,  and  I  was  re- 
lieved from  such  an  amount  of  persecution  that  I 
determined  to  preserve  a  judicious  silence,  and  to 
let  things  take  their  natural  course. 

I  saw  but  little  of  mv  friend,  the  seminarian, 
after  this  incident,  although  he  continued  to  send 
^'tracts"  and  to  write  letters — so  as  to  confirm 
and  strengthen  my  faith,  as  he  expressed  it — for, 
thinking  his  work  completed,  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, he  devoted  his  time  and  talents  to  the  con- 
version of  another  boy,  and  left  me  to  my  devotions. 

Was  this  an  instance  of  the  luch  to  which  I  have 
referred,  or  was  it  a  Providential  interposition? 
Of  one  thing  I  am  sure  in  this  connection  :  had 
these  persecutions  continued  they  would  have  com- 
pletely destroyed  the  seeds  of  religion  which  my 
mother  had  sown  so  carefully  in  my  heart  and  left 
me  utterly  and  hopelessly  without  faith  of  any  de- 
scription. As  it  was,  they  were  terribly  blighted 
and  it  required  many  a  long  year  of  faithful  nurs- 
ing by  a  tender  and  loving  hand  to  revivify  them. 

Let  me  ask  you,  my  dear  Doctor,  before  proceed- 
ing with  this  history,  how  it  is  that  such  radical 
mistakes  are  made  in  the  choice  of  professions  ? 
Take  the  ministry,  for  instance.  Is  there  one 
preacher  in  a  thousand  who  has  any  special  fitness 
for  his  mission — who  was  made  for  the  pulpit  ?  Is 
it  not  only  in  exceptional  instances  that  one  is  to  be 
found  who  is  anything  more  than  a  stumbling  block 
in  the  path  of  humanity,  or  who  does  more  than 
mechanically  and  monotonously  point  out  the  right 
path  to  sinners?  How  many  of  the  clergy  can  you 
name  who  in  daily  walk  or  in  the  discharge  of  their 
sacred  trust  are  veritable  exemplars  of  the  creed 
which  they  pretend  to  preach,  and  real  followers  of 
the  Divinity  whom  they  profess  to  worship?    Take 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  75 

the  medical  profession  as  another  illustration. 
Who  of  those  who  hold  the  degree  can  you  vouch 
tor  as  true  physicians,  genuine  ministers  of  mercy, 
and  real  devotees  of  science  ?  How  many  are  there 
to  whom  the  practice  of  medicine  is  anything  more 
than  a  matter  of  routine  or  a  ladder  for  personal 
amhition  ?  How  long  is  the  list  of  those  who  seek 
to  penetrate  the  surface  of  ohjective  phenomena,  to 
soar  to  the  heights  of  discovery,  and  to  write  their 
names  upon  the  records  of  medicine  and  in  the 
history  of  the  age?  Alas  !  you  know  full  well  that 
but  too  many  are  satisfied  with  the  merest  smatter- 
ing of  medical  knowledge,  content  with  the  crudest 
washings  from  the  mines  of  science,  and  aspire  to 
nothing  beyond  the  foot-prints  of  their  predecessors, 
without  giving  a  thought  to  the  elevation  of  them- 
selves and  the  advancement  of  their  profession  ! 

One  of  the  strangest  things,  too^.  is  the  desire 
which  medical  men  manifest  to  become  teachers  of 
medicine,  while  the  intensity  of  this  aspiration 
8eems  to  have  an  inverse  ratio  to  their  ability  to 
impart  instruction.  There  seems  to  be  a  charm 
about  the  title  of  "  Professor"  which  it  is  difficult 
for  many  physicians  to  resist,  and  they  seek  it  with 
the  rapacity  of  sharks  in  pursuit  of  their  prey.  I 
am  sure  these  observations  wijl  immediately  recall 
to  your  memory  a  mutual  friend  who  once  figured 
in  this  mistaken  role.  Of  an  unprepossessing  ap- 
pearance ;  with  a  superciliousness  almost  unparal- 
leled; having  a  voice  which  resembled  more  that 
of  a  sick  crow  than  of  a  human  being  ;  imperfectly 
educated  in  all  regards,  but  especially  so  in  the 
branch  which  he  represented,  and  without  a  single 
professional  gift,  or  gi'ace,  or  accomplishment,  he 
gloried  in  his  title,  and  imagined  himself  unrivaled 
as  a  lecturer.  The  style  of  his  descent  from  his 
carriage,  the   ceremony    of  his  entrance    into  the 


"76  A  doctor's  experiences 

lecture-room,  and  the  pomposity  of  liis  performance 
on  the  rostrum,  were  a  study  in  themselves,  and 
would  have  lurnished  a  choice  theme  for  the  pen  of 
a  Dickens  or  a  Thackeray.  No  man  could  have 
witnessed  the  fantastic  performances  of  this  ''  great 
professor"  without  splitting  his  sides  with  laughter 
or  garnering  in  his  memory  a  perpetual  source  of 
diversion  and  amusement.  In  short,  his  manner 
and  style  were  so  unique,  extraordinary,  prepos- 
terous, and  ridiculous  as  to  transcend  the  power  of 
words  to  describe  or  to  perpetuate.  For  a  while 
the  students  restrained  their  disgust  and  submitted 
unmurmuringiy  to  his  assumptions,  but  when  they 
discovered  that  his  examinations  were  as  rigid  as 
if  he  were  really  capable  of  imparting  instruction — 
actually  had  a  right  to  expect  his  hearers  to  know 
something  of  the  subject,  which  his  lecture  only 
served  to  obscure  and  complicate — they  perempto- 
rily refused  to  permit  him  to  lecture.  Whenever 
he  presented  himself,  they  overwhelmed  him  with 
ai)plause,  cheering  and  encoring  him  at  the  highest 
pitch  of  their  voices,  and  drowning  his  every  word 
in  a  tempest  of  noisy  demonstrations.  It  was  in 
vain  that  he  tried  first  to  cajole  and  then  to  threaten 
them — he  was  persistently  received  in  the  same  way 
until  mortified  and  beaten  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  the  rostrum.  The  authorities  of  the 
College  intervened  without  effect,  and  he  finally 
came  to  me  and  earnestly  solicited  my  assistance. 
Although  I  could  but  sympathize  with  the  students, 
I  felt  that  they  were  in  the  wrong — that  they  had 
taken  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  were  in  a 
state  of  actual  rebellion — and  I  promised  to  inter- 
pose and  to  use  my  influence  to  relieve  him  from 
his  painful  dilemma.  On  the  succeeding  day  I 
premised  my  lecture  by  saying  :  Gentlemen,  I  am 
sure  you  will  admit  that  I  have  tried  to  do  my  duty 


IN    THEEE   COXTINEXTS.     •  ^7 

as  a  professor  in  this  school,  and  will  recognize  in 
me  a  friend  to  each  and  to  all  of  you.  1  have  then 
a  favor  to  ask,  and  to  reinforce  it  hy  what  some 
might  call  a  threat.  I  want  you  to  promise  me 
that  you  will  permit  the  Professor  of to  con- 
tinue his  lectures  ;  and  as  you  desire  the  vote  of 
the  Professor  of  Surgery,  I  am  confident  you  will 
not  disturb  him  again."  This  was  received  with  a 
round  of  applause,  and  I  felt  that  I  had  won  the  day 
for  my  colleague — and  such  really  proved  to  be  the 
case,  for  he  had  no  difficulty  with  the  class  from 
that  time  forward.  Now,  what  do  you  suppose  was 
my  recompense  for  this  friendly  and  successful  in- 
tervention ?  It  was  nothing  less  than  the  eternal 
hatred  of  him  who  had  thus  been  saved  from  dis- 
grace and  ruin.  He  affected  to  believe  that  I  was 
the  author  of  the  conspiracy,  and  that  the  class  had 
finally  yielded  against  my  real  wishes^,  influenced 
solely  by  the  apprehension  of  losing  so  valued  a 
teacher. 

Beware,  my  dear  friend,  of  an  inherent  fool  whose 
heart  is  surcharged  with  vanity,  for  of  all  men  he 
is  least  to  be  trusted  and  the  surest  to  prove  un- 
grateful. Besides,  I  had  rather  rely  upon  the  con- 
sideration of  a  rabid  dog  than  the  gratitude  of  a 
resuscitated  viper. 


^8  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  V. 

AN  EPISODE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Availing  myself  of  the  privilege  secured  by 
"early  piety,"  as  I  have  fully  explained  in  a  pre- 
ceding page  of  this  narrative,  I  have  indeed  gone 
beyond  "school  bounds"  in  the  foregoing  disserta- 
tion on  human  folly,  incompetency,  and  ingrati- 
tude. I  must  beg  you,  therefore,  to  return  with 
me  to  Fairfax,  and  to  let  me  talk  again  of  my 
school  days. 

I  frequently  visited  a  neighboring  town  in  com- 
pany with  Landon  Eliason,  a  comrade  over  whose 
early  gra^^e  I  have  since  shed  many  a  tear.  His 
mother  belonged  to  the  Carter  family,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  of  the  State,  and  she  was  as  splen- 
did a  specimen  of  womanhood  as  ever  I  met. 
Within  her  hospitable  doors  some  of  my  happiest 
days  were  spent,  and  I  can  but  speak  of  her  with 
gratitude  and  pleasure.  At  that  time  she  was  liv- 
ing with  her  aged  and  infirm  mother,  dispensing 
that  generous  and  genial  hospi^tality  for  which  her 
race  had  so  long  been  distinguished,  even  in  old 
Virginia.  She  had  several  sons,  all  remarkable 
for  their  personal  beauty  and  accomplishments, 
and  it  was  her  delight  to  assemble  the  young  peo- 
ple of  the  town  under  her  roof  for  their  entertain- 
ment and  diversion.  At  one  of  these  gatherings  T 
met  a  beautiful  girl,  and  fell  in  love  with  her — so 
desperately,  in  fact,  that  for  many  a  long  year  she 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  79 

was  the  star  that  guided  me  and  the  divinity  at 
whose  shrine  I  worshiped. 

Of  sylph-like  figure,  as  graceful  as  a  fawn,  with 
an  eye  in  which  the  sunlight  of  Heaven  was  mir- 
rored, and  a  voice  that  was  music  idealized,  she 
was  the  most  consummate  flirt  that  a  southern  sun 
ever  developed.  Every  boy  above  sixteen  loved 
her  to  distraction,  and  each  believed  himself  the 
special  object  of  her  affections.  To  me  she  seemed 
a  vision  of  perfect  beauty — a  glimpse  of  Paradise — 
a  special  revelation  from  Heaven — and  I  loved  her 
with  all  the  fervor  and  idolatry  of  an  intensely  po- 
etic and  sensitive  nature. 

I  told  you  that  she  was  inherently  a  flirt,  and  I 
will  give  you  one  of  my  reasons  for  believing  so.  One 
night  Landon  and  I  walked  home  with  her,  for 
friends  as  w^e  were,  neither  had  an  idea  of  giving 
the  other  the  slightest  advantage  so  far  as  she  was 
concerned.  Seizing  a  favorable  opportunity,  I 
slipped  my  hand  within  the  muff  which  she  car- 
ried, and  after  a  brief  interval  I  was  delighted  to 
touch  a  hand  which  closed  upon  mine  responsively. 
For  about  three  hundred  yards  of  space,  though  it 
seemed  but  a  single  instant  of  time,  I  was  the  hap- 
piest of  mortals,  believing  that  while  she  talked  to 
my  friend  in  honeyed  words,  I  held  her  hand  in 
loving  embrace  and  possessed  her  heart  as  well. 
Just  as  she  reached  her  mother's  door  she  held  up 
her  hands  exultingly,  and  with  the  merriest  laugh 
that  ever  broke  the  stillness  of  the  solemn  night, 
exclaimed:  "Well,  young  men,  how  do  you  like 
each  other's  hands?"  when  Landon  and  I  discov- 
ered that  we  were  "  sold,"  for  both  of  us  had  exe- 
cuted the  same  manoeuver  as  regards  the  mufl',  and 
we  had  been  squeezing  each  other's  hands  instead 
of  our  sw^eetheart's  for  the  entire  distance. 

I  returned  to  school  in  a  dreadful  state  of  mind 


80  A  doctor's  experiences 

— desperately  ia  love  and  utterly  despondent — - 
and,  without  any  previous  knowledge  of  the  pos- 
session of  the  ''poetic  gift,"  1  wrote  upon  the 
blank  page  of  the  Livy  that  I  pretended  to  study 
the  following  Byronic  effusion  : 

Oh !  for  a  drop  from  Lethe's  stream 

That  flowed  in  days  of  yore — 
A  drop  to  snatch  me  from  this  dream 

And  make  me  love  no  more ; 
A  drop  from  Memory's  page  to  blot 

Each  line  that's  written  there, 
A  drop  to  make  my  future  lot 

Oblivion — not  despair. 

This  depression  was  not  of  long  duration.  It 
was  replaced,  if  not  by  a  hopeful  state  of  mind,  at 
least  by  a  determination  to  win  the  prize  at  all 
hazards,  and  without  regard  to  the  time  requiied 
for  the  task.  A  new  life  was  born  within  me,  and 
I  became  at  once  the  most  earnest  and  studious  of 
boys.  From  that  moment  I  stood  at  the  head  of  my 
classes  and  carried  off  the  highest  marks  in  all  the 
public  examinations.  My  pride  and  ambition  were 
stimulated  to  the  hio-hest  deofree  and  I  determined 
to  make  a  name  for  myself,  not  only  in  the  little 
world  of  Clarens  but  in  the  grander  arena  of  real 
life.  Much  of  what  I  have  accomplished  since,  at 
school,  in  the  University^  and  wherever  my  destiny 
has  been  cast,  is  due  to  the  direct  influence  of  the 
passion  which  this  young  girl  inspired — to  the  as- 
piration to  excel,  the  power  of  concentration,  and 
the  fixedness  of  purpose  which  it  developed  within 
me. 

The  finale  of  this  affair  is  sufficiently  interesting 
to  bear  relating.  Six  years  afterward  I  tbund  my- 
self at ,  en  route  to   Philadelphia  to  complete 

my  medical  studies.     I  had  made  this  long  detour 
because  I  desired  to  hear  from  her  who  had  so  long 


IX    THREE    CONTIXEXTS.  81 

been  the  object  of  my  idolatry,  the  words  of  cheer 
or  of  doom,  which,  as  I  then  believed,  would  de- 
cide my  fate  forever.  With  trembling  limbs  and 
a  beating  heart  I  ascended  the  steps  so  familiar  in 
the  days  of  my  boyhood,  sent  in  my  card,  and  was 
received  by  tJie  young  lady — as- kindly  as  if  I  had 
been  a  long-absent  brother,  but  with  the  assurance 
that  I  had  loved,  labored,  and  suffered  in  vain — 
that  she  did  not  love  me,  and  could  never  be  my 
wife.  I  said  nothing,  because  I  felt  that  if  the 
long  years  through  which  I  had  worshiped  so  per- 
sistently at  the  shrine  of  her  beauty  spoke  nothing 
in  my  behalf,  it  was  useless  to  utter  a  word  of  pro- 
test or  appeal  ;  and  1  went  on  my  way,  feeling  as 
every  earnest  and  disappointed  man  does  under 
such  circumstances.  I  thought  I  saw  a  tear  on  her 
cheek  as  I  left  the  room,  but  I  did  not  linger  to 
ask  its  meaning,  or  to  contrast  its  significance  with 
that  of  the  emphatic  language  of  her  lips.  And 
thus  we  parted,  never  to  meet  again — as  I  sup- 
posed. 

After  I  had  been  in  Philadelphia  some  ten  days, 
I  awakened  one  morning  greatly  impressed  by  a 
dream.  I  dreamed  that  I  had  received  a  letter 
from  my  sweetheart,  expressing  regret  at  her  con- 
duct and  recalling  me  to  her  side  ;  and  I  remem- 
bered with  distinctness  alike  the  general  tenor  of 
this  communication  and  its  external  appearance. 
I  immediately  awakened  my  room-mate,  told  him 
of  my  dream,  and  begged  him  to  accompany  me  to 
the  post  office-  He  was  utterly  incredulous,  but, 
being  the  best-hearted  fellcfw  in  the  world,  he 
dressed  quickly  and  went  with  me.  In  response 
to  my  inquiry,  I  was  first  told  that  there  was  "  no 
letter  for  Dr.  Edward  Warren,"  but  having  im- 
portuned the  agent  to  look  for  a  letter  addressed 
to  "Edward  Warren,  M.  D.,''  he   kindly  did   so, 


82  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  handed  me  a  letter  exactly  similar  in  appear- 
ance and  in  tenor  to  the  one  which  I  had  seen  in 
my  dream.  Without  stopping  to  comment  on  this 
extraordinary  occurrence — this  singular  realization 
of  a  dream — I  will  simply  say  that  the  next  morn- 
ing found  me  in  — '■ — ,  the  happiest  of  human  be- 
ings in  anticipation  of  the  coming  interview  with 
the  object  upon  wdiich  the  deepest  lov^e  of  my  na- 
ture had  been  lavished  for  so  many  years.  The 
hour  arrived,  and  1  was  made  supremely  happy 
by  the  confession — seemingly  made  with  entire 
frankness — that,  from  the  first  and  throughout, 
her  heart  had  been  wholly  and  exclusively  mine. 
Oh,  the  rapture  of  love's  young  dream  !  Oh, 
the  bliss  of  love's  first  confession  !  Life  has  nothing 
else  comparable  with  it. 

"  Devotion  wafts  the  soul  above, 
But  Heaven  itself  descends  in  love." 

I  returned  to  Philadelphia  with  perfect  peace 
and  joy  reigning  in  my  heart,  prouder  than  the 
conqueror  who  sighed  for  new  worlds  over  which  to 
extend  his  dominion,  and  believing  that  my  path- 
way was  to  be  illuminated  with  perpetual  sunshine 
and  strewn  with  never-fading  flowers.  How  beau- 
tiful everything  appeared  to  me  !  How  kindly  I 
felt  toward  all  mankind  !  How  faithfully  I  studied 
and  tried  to  excel !  I  poured  out  my  feelings  in  a 
flood  tide  of  impassioned  letters  ;  1  addressed  son- 
nets innumerable  to  my  lady  love  ;  the  mails 
groaned  under  the  weight  of  the  love  tokens  which 
I  sent  to  my  darling  ;  and  I  lived  for  weeks  in  a 
state  of  exaltation  which  approached  to  delirium. 
Suddenly,  a  cloud  overspread  the  heaven  which  cano- 
pied the  fairy  land  wherein  I  dwelt  so  happily,  and 
filled  it  with  darkness  and  my  very  soul  with  ter- 
ror.    The  missives  which  had  been  my  daily  solace 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  83^" 

and  inspiration  came  no  more  ;  and  I  was  plunged 
into  a  slough  of  doubt  and  apprehension.  It  was 
in  vain  that  I  invoked  every  conceivable  means  to 
obtain  a  solution  of  the  mystery — only  the  simple 
fact  remained  that  she  wrote  no  more  and  that  I 
was  miserable  because  of  her  silence.  So  soon  as 
the  examinations  were  over,  without  waiting  for 
commencement- day  and  the  distribution  of  di- 
plomas, I  started  for  Washington,  having  dis- 
covered by  the  merest  accident  that  she  was  stay- 
ing there  with  some  relatives.  I  saw  her  and 
heard  from  her  own  lips  the  strange  and  inexplicable 
announcement  that  she  was  "  engaged  to  another 
and  intended  soon  to  marry  him."  She,  in  fact,  had 
been  engaged  to  him  for  many  months,  even  when 
she  recalled  me  and  promised  to  be  my  wife ;  and 
she  did  marry  him  within  a  few  weeks  after  our  final 
interview.  I  demanded  no  explanation  ;  I  spoke 
not  an  upbraiding  word  ;  and  I  left  her  as  quietly 
as  if  she  were  only  a  casual  acquaintance,  and  had 
never  held  my  heart-strings  in  her  hands  ;  for  the 
confession  that  she  loved  another  eradicated  in- 
stantaneously and  eternally  every  element  of  the 
love  which  I  had  cherished  for  her.  As  if  by 
magic  the  words  so  lightly  spoken  extinguished 
the  grand  passion  which  for  so  many  years  had 
been  the  controlling  power  of  my  being.  Such  is 
the  potency  of  pride  when  once  it  is  thoroughly 
aroused  in  the  human  heart — or  at  least  in  one 
like  mine.  She  married  a  good  man,  with  a  great 
name,  and  I  hope  and  believe  that  she  was  happy 
in  her  wedded  life. 

I  now  realize  it  was  '^all  for  the  best,"  while 
the  influence  of  the  passion  which  she  inspired 
helped  to  develop  my  character,  and  to  imjDart 
vitality  to  the  ambition  which  has  given  a  com- 
plexion and  a  direction  to  my  entire  life. 


84  A  doctor's  experiences 

Speaking  of  ambition — the  desire  to  excel,  and 
to  liave  that  excellence  recognized  and  rewarded — 
reminds  me  of  how  often  you  have  chaifed  me  for 
heing  so  much  engrossed  by  that  passion,  and  have 
urged  me  to  put  it  away.  It  also  recalls  what  my 
friend,  Governor  Vance,  once  said  in  this  connec- 
tion. When  I  was  promoted  by  the  Legislature  of 
Korth  Carolina  to  the  rank  of  "  brigadier-general  " 
as  a  special  reward  for  my  services  as  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  the  State,  some  one  asked  the  Grovernor  if 
he  thought  I  would  accept  the  promotion  in  view  of 
the  report  which  was  then  in  circulation  that  all 
persons  holding  the  rank  of  general  were  to  be 
shot  in  the.  event  of  the  failure  of  the  Confeder- 
acy? "  Well,"  said  he,  "■  I  know^  Warren  as  well 
as  the  next  man,  and  I  can  tell  you  this  about 
him  ;  he  would  take  the  rank  of  brigadier-general 
with  the  chance  of  being  shot  on  account  of  it  at 
the  end  of  the  war,  but  he  would  accept  the  rank 
of  major-general  with  the  certcdnty  of  being  shot 
ior  it  to-morrow."  I  have  lived  long  enough  to 
appreciate  the  folly  of  a  sentiment  which  carries 
with  it  so  much  of  unrest  and  anxiety,  in  any 
event,  and  to  wish  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart 
that  I  had  been  content  to  spend  my  days  in  bliss- 
ful ease  under  the  elms  of  old  Edenton,  instead  of 
chasing  an  empty  shadow  around  the  world.  Few 
men,  it  is  true,  have  reaped  a  larger  harvest  of 
what  the  world  calls  honors — pardon  the  seeming 
egotism  of  the  assertion — and  yet  there  lives  not  a 
being  who  has  grown  more  indifferent  to  them. 

My  experience  at  the  "final  examination"  at 
Clarens  is  especially  apropos  in  this  connection. 

With  one  oi  my  teachers  I  was  never  on  good 
terms,  our  want  of  fellowship  being  based  upon 
that  inherent  repulsion  which  plays  so  important  a 
role  in  human  association.     I  had  no  idea,  how- 


.     IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  85 

ever,  of  his  malignity  until  the  occasion  to  which 
I  refer.  There  chanced  to  be  only  one  problem  in 
geometry  which  I  was  not  master  of,  and,  on  the 
night  preceding  the  public  examination  at  the  close 
of  the  session  I  told  him  of  this  fact,  and  re- 
quested him  to  question  me  on  any  other  rather 
than  on  that  one.  He  smiled,  and  said  he  would 
remember  my  request,  which  T  interpreted  to 
mean  that  he  would  respect  it  and  act  fairly  with 
me. 

On  the  succeeding  day,  with  the  house  filled 
with  ladies  and  gentlemen — including  the  prin- 
cipal and  his  family,  the  entire  corps  of  teachers, 
the  students  of  the  seminary,  and  many  other 
prominent  persons — he  called  up  the  class  in  geom- 
etry. After  having  read  out  the  ''marks"  show- 
ing the  standing  of  the  students  for  the  entire  ses- 
sion, and  of  which  I  had  by  far  the  highest  num- 
ber, he  examined  us  orally  in  the  strictest  raanner, 
and  then  sent  three  of  us  at  the  same  time  to  the 
blackboard.  To  my  utter  surprise  and  indigna- 
tion, he  gave  me  for  demonstration  the  very  prob- 
lem which  I  did  not  understand,  and  concerning 
which  I  had  spoken  to  him  on  the  previous  even- 
ing. Here  was  a  dilemma  indeed  !  I  could  not 
demonstrate  it,  and  I  felt  that  1  had  rather  die  than 
fail,  as  this  villainous  teacher  had  so  cunningly 
planned.  But  I  baffled  him,  nevertheless,  by 
doing  that  which  I  considered  justifiable  under  the 
circumstances.  While  his  attention  was  dii'ected 
to  the  others,  I  very  quietly  took  another  problem, 
drew  the  diagram  with  great  care,  and  turning  to 
the  principal  asked  permission  to  demonstrate  to 
him,  and  proceeded  to  do  so  as  perfectly  as  it  could 
be  done.  The  teacher  was  too  much  taken  by  sur- 
prise to  interrupt  me,  but,  when  my  work  was 
done,  he  remarked  to  the  principal,  "  I  shall  mark 


86  A  doctor's  experiences  . 

Edward  Warren  zero  for  his  demonstration/'  and 
then  dismissed  us,  perfectly  beside  himself  with 
rage.  The  moment  the  examination  was  over,  I 
sought  an  interview  with  the  principal,  told  him- 
the  whole  story,  and  asked  his  forgiveness.  After 
a  sharp  lecture  he  did  forgive  me,  restored  my 
standing,  and  refused  to  employ  the  teacher  for 
another  session — telling  him  that  though  my 
course  was  wrong,  his  was  absolutely  wicked. 
Some  years  afterward  I  met  this  wretch,  and 
though  he  had  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
and  tried  to  be  very  friendly,  I  turned  my  back 
upon  him  in  absolute  contempt  and  disgust. 

Among  my  schoolmates  were  several  who  have 
since  made  their  mark  in  life,  notably  Custis  Lee 
and  Beverly  Kennon,  both  of  whom  have  shown 
themselves  men  of  character  and  talent. 

Despite  the  overdose  of  religion,  the  peculiar 
punishment  of  denying  coffee  to  those  who  were 
late  at  prayers,  the  hostility  displayed  by  the 
teacher  at  my  last  examination,  and  sundry  other 
petty  annoyances,  my  school  days  at  Clarens  passed 
pleasantly  enough,  and  the  dear  old  place  has  re- 
mained a  ''green  spot"  in  my  memory  through- 
out the  long  years  which  have  passed  since  I  left 
its  friendly  portals  to  take  my  chance  in  life. 

An  examination  of  the  map  of  North  Carolina 
will  show  you  that  there  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land 
interposed  between  the  sounds  and  the  ocean  along 
its  entire  coast  line.  This  strip  varies  from  one  to 
two  miles  in  width,  and  is  composed  almost  exclu- 
sively of  sand,  which  forms  itself  into  hills  and 
ridges  that  continually  change  their  form  and  po- 
sition under  the  influence  of  the  prevailing  winds. 
That  portion  of  this  sand-belt  immediately  oppo- 
site Koanoke  Island  is  known  as  "Nag's 'Head," 
and  it  has  long  been  a  favorite  resort  of  the  inhab- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  87 

itants  of  the  Albemarle  region,  who  visit  it  during 
the  summer  months  to  escape  the  greater  heat  and 
the  more  potent  malaria  of  the  interior. 

My  father  owned,  a  cottage  there,  and  I  spent 
my  vacation  in  it — and  a  delightful  one  it  was. 
Nag's  Head  derives  its  name,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, from  the  habit  which  an  old  wrecker  had  of 
tying  a  lantern  to  the  head  of  his  lame  mare,  and 
then  leading  her  along  the  shore  on  dark  and 
stormy  nights,  so  as  to  allure  ships  to  their  doom 
by  conveying  the  idea  that  some  other  craft  was 
sailing  in  safety  nearer  shore.  These  wreckers 
were  a  desperate  set  of  men,  and  they  lived  exclu- 
sively on  the  spoils  of  the  deep — that  is,  by  the 
robbery  of  drowning  sailors  and  the  pillage  of  dis- 
abled ships. 

Among  the  most  prominent  of  these  "land  pi- 
rates" was  a  certain  Parson  Midgett,  who  I'esided 
near  Nag's  Head,  and  prided  himself  equally  on 
his  success  in  bringing  sinners  to  repentance  and 
•his  skill  in  running  ships  ashore,  with  the  pious 
purpose  of  drowning  their  crew  and  of  appropriat- 
ing their  cargoes.  One  Sunday — so  the  story  goes 
— he  was  rejoicing  in  the  presence  of  a  large  and 
enthused  congregation,  in  "anxious  benches" 
filled  with  stricken  "mourners,"  and  in  the  work 
of  salvation  which  was  progressing  "like  a  house 
afire."  Just  as  his  religious  zeal  had  reached  its 
acme  there  was  an  announcement  of  "a  wreck  on 
Kitty  Hawk  Beach,"  and  the  whole  assembly 
arose  and  made  a  rush  for  the  scene  of  disaster, 
expecting  to  reap  there  a  welcomed  harvest.  With 
stentorian  voice^  and  in  the  name  of  the  Deity,  the 
preacher  commanded  a  "halt,"  and  forced  the 
brethren  to  resume  their  seats.  Then,  descending 
with  measured  tread  from  the  pulpit,  and  march- 
ing solemnly  down  the  aisle,  with  hands  upliited 


88  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  eyes  turned  heavenward,  and  the  most  fiery  of 
his  hymns  swelling  in  thunder  tones  from  his  lips, 
he  finally  reached  the  door,  when  he  cried  out: 
''Fair  play,  fair  play,  sisters  and  brethren;  let  us 
have  a  fair  start;"  and  he  rushed  off  at  full  speed 
for  the  wreck,  leaving  his  deluded  flock  to  catchup 
with  him  if  they  could. 

A  new  civilization  has  dawned  upon  these  once 
benighted  shores,  and  the  haunts  of  the  "wreck- 
ers" have  been  transformed  into  "life-saving  sta- 
tions," from  which  friendly  beacons  and  succoring 
hands  greet  the  struggling  mariners,  while  Mid- 
gett  and  his  band  have  been  exiled  to  a  warmer  if 
not  a  better  country. 

I  found  this  spot  a  perfect  paradise  for  the  gun- 
ner and  the  fisherman,  and  I  enjoyed  its  charms 
with  all  the  greater  zest  because  of  the  hard  work 
which  I  had  done  at  school  in  preparing  myself  for 
college. 

In  company  with  my  eldest  sister,  and  in  the 
horse-cart — whicli  was  the  only  vehicle  possible  in 
the  sands — I  wandered  over  the  face  of  creation, 
explored  every  hill  and  valley  and  creek  and  bay 
of  the  Head,  collecting  shells,  plucking  flowers, 
gathering  grapes,  picking  chincapins,  shooting 
birds,  catching  fish,  watching  the  angry  breakers, 
building  castles  in  the  air,  forgetful  that  care  ex- 
isted or  that  there  was  any  land  save  Eutopia. 

In  returning  to  Edenton  after  the  war,  the 
steamer  on  which  I  was  a  passenger  stopped  at 
Roanoke  Island,  and  turning  toward  the  opposite 
shore  I  searched  for  the  old  landmarks  and  habita- 
tions of  what  was  once  Nag's  Head.  But  the 
search  was  a  vain  one — I  could  not  find  a  vestige 
of  the  once  familiar  objects,  and  everything  looked 
wild  and  drear  and  curious  there.  The  ever-rest- 
less  sands   had  buried   every  trace  of  the  verdure 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  89 

which  once  stood  out  so  conspicuously  in  the  snowy 
landscape,  and  had  arranged  themselves  into  new 
and  strange  combinations  of  hills  and  plains  and 
valleys,  totally  changing  the  aspect  of  the  place. 
The  houses,  within  the  friendly  walls  of  which  so 
many  hours  had  been  passed  in  brighter  times,  had 
disappeared  entirely,  having  succumbed  to  the 
storms  which  had  swept  over  them  for  a  decade  or 
having  furnished  materials  for  the  huts  which  the 
fugitive  negroes  built  elsewhere  during  the  war. 

Such  a  transformation,  in  truth,  had  been  wrought 
by  the  conjoint  agency  of  the  elements  and  the  hand 
of  vandalism  that  I  should  never  have  recognized 
the  summer  home  of  my  boyhood  ;  and  such  a  scene 
of  desolation  and  barrenness  presented  itself  to  my 
view  as  I  never  conceived  of  before,  and  never  saw 
afterward  until  my  lot  was  cast  amid  the  sands  of 
the  desert. 

I  was  sad  enough  already,  for  in  the  wreck  of  the 
•'  lost  cause"  I  had  seen  every  trace  of  my  property 
disappear,  and  the  plans  and  the  hopes  of  a  life- 
time blasted,  but,  when  I  beheld  the  utter  ruin 
which  had  befallen  Nag's  Head — the  complete  de- 
struction which  had  overtaken  a  spot  with  which 
so  many  cherished  memories  were  associated — I 
broke  down  entirely,  and,  retiring  to  my  cabin,  I 
spent  the  day  in  tears  and  solitude,  feeling,  indeed, 

"  Like  one  who  treads  alone 
Some  banquet  hall  deserted, 
Whose  lights  are  tied,  whose  garlands  dead, 
And  all  but  me  departed." 

I  have  since  learned  that,  with  the  financial  re- 
cuperation of  that  section,  a  day  of  renewed  pros- 
perity has  dawned  upon  Nag's  Head,  and  that  it 
has  again  become  a  resort  for  crowds  of  visitors  as 
gay  and  as  joyous  even  as  those  who  frequented  it 


90  A  doctor's  experiences 

in  other  days.  How  I  should  like  once  more  to 
gather  shells  upon  its  beautiful  beach,  to  feel  its 
refreshing  breezes  on  my  brow,  and  to  hear  its 
breakers  roar,  as  in  the  olden  time! 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  91 


LETTER  VI. 

COLLEGE  DAYS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  had  intended  to  go  with  Landon  Eliason  and 
other  classmates  to  Princeton,  but  my  father  was 
too  ardent  a  Virginian  to  permit  me  to  matriculate 
in  any  other  college  than  the  university  of  his  na- 
tive State. 

In  those  days  the  railroad  from  Richmond  ran 
only  as  far.  as  Gordonsville,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  journey  had  to  be  accomplished  in  a  stage  coach. 
I  came  very  near  never  accomplishing  it  at  all  ;  for, 
on  .reaching  Grordonsville,  the  germs  of  malaria 
which  I  had  absorbed  in  my  rambles  by  the  sea 
developed  into  a  full-blown  "remittent  fever,"  and 
for  several  days  I  lay  there  hovering  between  life 
and  death.  One  of  my  old  schoolmates  whom  I 
had  met  en  route  shamefully  abandoned  me,  but  a 
negro  connected  with  the  hotel  nursed  me  with 
great  tenderness,  and  really  saved  my  life.  I  was 
too  ill  to  ask  for  a  doctor,  and  nobody  seemed  to 
think  of  sending  for  one,  so  my  constitution  had  to 
fight  it  out  with  the  disease,  and  finally  won  the 
day,  but  I  was  left  in  a  state  of  great  physical  weak- 
ness and  mental  depression.  In  all  previous  attacks 
of  sickness  I  had  my  father's  skill  and  my  mother's 
tenderness  to  rely  upon,  and  I  had  no  conception 
of  what  it  was  to  suffer  in  solitude  and  among 
strangers.  The  lesson  taught  me  was  a  hard  one, 
and  I  could  not  forget  it  were  I  to  live  to  the  age 
of  Methuselah. 


92  A  doctor's  experiences 

So  soon  as  it  became  practicable  I  had  myself 
lifted  into  the  stage-coach  and  carried  to  the  Uni- 
versity. The  effort  proved  too  much,  however,  for 
my  strength,  and  immediately  on  my  arrival  I  ex- 
perienced a  relapse,  and  had  a  repetition  of  my 
experiences  at  Gordonsville.  It  was  many  weeks 
before  I  could  commence  my  studies,  and  when  I 
did  so,  the  class  had  already  gone  over  so  much 
ground  that  the  session  was  practically  lost  to  me 
— much  to  my  humiliation  and  detriment.  During 
the  whole  of  this  painful  period  I  did  not  com- 
municate to  my  friends  at  home  a  single  fact  relat- 
ing to  my  illness,  but  on  the  contrary  I  wrote  them 
cheerful  and  hopeful  letters,  in  order  to  save  them 
the  pain  and  anxiety  which  a  true  statement  of  the 
case  w^ould  have  occasioned. 

In  this  I  made  a  great  mistake,  for  when  I  re- 
turned to  Edenton  in  the  succeeding  summer  I 
looked  so  thin  and  wretched  that  my  parents  were 
shocked  and  distressed  immeasureably.  Besides, 
my  father  had  expected  such  great  things  in  the  way 
of  scholastic  honors  from  my  habits  of  study  and  my 
ambition  to  excel,  that  he  could  not  help  feeling 
disappointed — the  more  so  as  I  had  not  prepared 
him  for  my  failure.  The  good  old  man  actually 
shed  tears  when  he  subsequently  read  over  the  list 
of  the  '"distinguished,"  and  found  that  my  name, 
which  he  had  expected  to  see  at  the  head  of  the 
'•  roll  of  honor,"  did  not  appear  in  it  at  all. 

The  previous  session  had  been  an  exciting  and 
memorable  one.  A  party  of  students  having  im- 
bibed rather  /reely  before  visiting  a  traveling 
menagerie  and  circus,  provoked  an  encounter  with 
the  company,  which  proved  most  disastrous.  See- 
ing that  those  who  commenced  the  difficulty  were 
getting  the  worst  of  it,  their  comrades,  though  in 
no  way  responsible  for  the  affray,  went  to  their  as- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  93 

sistance,  with  the  result  of  a  general  fight  of  the 
most  savage  character.  The  students  were  un- 
armed, while  the  men  of  the  menagerie  pulled  up 
the  stakes  surrounding  the  ring,  and  used  them 
with  terrific  effect.  A  number  of  students  were 
severely  wounded,  and  young  Glover,  of  Georgia, 
was  killed  outright.  This  unfortunate  youth  was 
one  of  the  most  respected  members  of  the  college, 
and  had  joined  in  the  melee  exclusively  from  an 
esprit  de  corps.  So  soon  as  the  intelligence  of  this 
«ad  event  reached  the  University  the  great  bell 
was  rung,  the  whole  body  of  students  assembled 
upon  the  lawn,  and  a  resolution  was  taken  to 
march  immediatply  to  Charlottesville,  and  to 
aveno;e  their  murdered  comrade.  The  rumor  of 
their  approach  preceded  them,  and  when  they  ar- 
rived at  the  scene  of  the  disturbance  the  showmen 
had  fled,  leaving  their  tents  and  wagons  behind 
them.  In  a  state  of  the  wildest  excitement  the 
students  took  measures  at  once  to  destroy  the 
abandoned  property,  and  to  pursue  its  owners  so  as 
to  bring  them  to  summary  justice.  At  this  junc- 
ture the  civil  authorities  intervened,  and  by  dint 
of  much  persua&ion,  and  a  promise  to  take  imme- 
diate steps  to  arrest  the  fugitives  and  to  have  them 
duly  tried,  they  succeeded  in  inducing  the  students 
to  return  to  their  quarters  and  to  let  the  law  have 
its  course.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  however,  that 
though  the  culprits  were  captured^  confined  in  jail, 
and  finally  tried,  they  escaped  punishment,  be- 
cause of  the  difficulty  of  identifying  the  man  who 
struck  the  fatal  blow.  The  remains  of  poor  Glover 
were  conveyed  to  college  and  deposited  in  the 
University  burying  ground,  where  a  beautiful 
monument  was  erected  over  them.  It  was  said 
that  the  only  weapon  which  the  students  possessed 
was  a  pistol  which  some  one  placed  in  the  hands 


'd 


94  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

of  Jack  Sedclon,  a  brother  of  the  Hon.  James  A. 
Seddon,  late  Confederate  Secretary  of  War,  and  a 
cousin  of  mine.  Instead  of  discharging  it,  he,  with 
^reat  presence  of  mind,  used  it  to  menace  the  in- 
furiated showmen  while  he  rescued  in  turn  three 
wounded  students  and  brought  them  out  in  safety. 

Sad  as  was  this  event,  a  story  is  told  of  one  of 
the  principal  parties  concerned  in  the  fight  which 
I  have  never  been  able  to  think  of  without  laugh- 
ing heartily.  It  seems  that  the  most  drunken  man 
in  the  crowd  which  commenced  the  affray  was  re- 
turning to  the  University  with  some  of  his  com- 
rades when  he  suddenly  commenced  to  wail  and 
weep  as  if  he  were  in  great  agony.  His  friends  at 
first  thought  that  he  was  suffering  from  the  pain 
of  his  wounds,  and  they  tried  to  console  him  in 
that  regard  ;  but  he  answered  nothing  and  went 
on  with  his  crying.  They  then  concluded  that  he 
was  grieving  over  the  death  of  Glover  and  his  in- 
direct agency  in  producing  it,  and  they  endeavored 
to  relieve  his  mind  as  far  as  they  could  on  that 
point,  but  with  no  better  success  ;  he  still  refused 
to  explain,  and  continued  to  weep  as  if  his  heart 
would  break.  Finally,  one  of  his  comrades  having 
grown  weary  with  the  pertinacity  of  his  lamenta- 
tions, shook  him  by  the  shoulder,  and  demanded : 
''What  the  h — 1  are  you  crying  about?"  This 
seemed  to  arouse  him  to  a  consciousness  of  his  sur- 
roundings, and  he  stopped  abruptly  and  said:  "You 
are  all  wrong,  boys.  I  am  not  crying  on  account 
of  my  wounds  or  even  over  poor  Glover's  death  ;  I 
am  not  thinking  of  those  things  now  ;  but  m}^ 
heart  is  just  broken  over  the  mortifying  reflection 
that  the  rascals  beat  me — a  Smith  of  Firginia — 
with  the  stick  they  stirred  the  monkeys  up  with." 

That  summer  was,  indeed,  a  disastrous  one. 
We  were  hardly  settled  in  our  cottage  by  the  sea 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  95 

before  we  were  visited  by  a  fearful  cyclone.  For 
about  six  hours  the  hurricane  raged  from  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sea,  breaking  every  pane  of  glass  on  the 
exposed  side  of  the  house,  deluging  us  with  water, 
and  threatening  at  every  moment  to  level  the  frail 
structure  to  the  ground.  It  then  veered  round 
and  blew  with  equal  fury  from  the  opposite  quar- 
ter, sweeping  away  the  windows  that  remained, 
nearly  drowning  us  again,  and  shaking  the  house 
from  roof  to  foundation.  My  father  had  remained 
at  home,  and  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  take  charge  of  the 
family  during  these  long  hours  of  fright  and  peril. 
With  the  help  of  the  servants,  I  moved  the  beds  to 
positions  of  comparative  safety ,  placed  my  mother 
and  the  children  upon  them,  and  then  hung  blankets 
and  counterpanes  above  and  around  them.  I  like- 
wise nailed  similar  articles  over  the  dilapidated 
windows,  swept  away  the  water  which  flooded  the 
house,  placed  all  the  provisions  under  the  beds, 
and  played  the  role  generally  of  a  skipper  on  ship- 
board, and  in  a  very  frail  craft  besides. 

When  the  wind  blew  from  the  direction  of  the 
sound,  the  tide  in  a  few  moments  attained  a  height 
of  sixty  feet — reaching  nearly  to  the  summit  of  the 
sand  hill  on  which  the  house  was  built — and  pre- 
sented a  new  danger  in  the  threatened  overflow  of 
the  entire  sand  belt  which  separates  the  sound  and 
the  sea.  Fortunately,  the  wind  abated  before  the 
catastrophe  was  consummated,  and  we  breathed 
freely  again,  but  with  a  full  realization  of  the  dan- 
ger from  w^hich  we  had  so  narrowly  and  providen- 
tially escaped. 

In  the  midst  of  the  great  peril  of  the  situation, 
it  was  impossible  to  avoid  an  intense  interest  in  th-e 
fate  of  a  number  of  ships  which  during  the  first 
hours  of  the  cyclone  were  driven  toward  the 
land — the  "lee  shore"  of  the  mariner's  vocabulary. 


96  A  doctor's  experiences 

Most  of  them  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  the 
danger,  but  several  became  involved  in  the  breakers 
and  were  wrecked  on  the  sands. 

Some  lives  were  lost,  and  the  beach  was  strewn 
with  wreckage,  while  in  the  w^ay  of  salvage  and 
loot  the  natives  gathered  an  abundant  harvest. 

My  eldest  sister  was  just  eighteen  that  summer, 
and  few  lovelier  girls  had  ever  been  reared  in  Caro- 
lina. She  was  universally  esteemed  not  less  for 
her  personal  charms  than  for  the  loveliness  of  her 
disposition.  Those  soft  gray  eyes  of  hers  mirrored 
a  soul  which  was  the  home  of  the  tenderest,  gentlest, 
and  noblest  sentiments.  With  her,  religion  seemed 
to  be  an  instinctive  sentiment,  directing  and  hal- 
lowing her  every  thought  and  act,  and  spreading 
perpetual  sunshine  around  her  pathway. 

We  were  reared  together,  and  during  her  entire 
life  I  never  knew  her  to  give  way  to  the  slightest 
manifestation  of  anger  or  to  speak  an  unkind  word 
or  to  think  for  a  single  moment  of  her  oioa  pleasure 
until  she  had  first  secured  that  of  others.  Indeed, 
she  not  only  had  the  face  of  a  Madonna,  but  the 
guilelessness  and  the  gentleness  of  an  angel  from 
heaven. 

It  was  her  misfortune  to  love  a  man  of  splendid 
genius  and  of  the  highest  character,  but  with  the 
taint  of  madness  in  his  blood,  and  though  my 
father  adored  his  daughter,  he  regarded  it  as  an 
imperative  duty  to  forbid  their  union.  The  poor 
girl  yielded  to  his  wishes,  but  she  could  not  eradi- 
cate the  fatal  passion  from  her  heart,  and  she  sank 
into  a  state  of  the  most  profound  melancholy  and 
depression.  Unfortunately,  she  w^as  seized  just  at 
that  critical  time  with  malarial  fever,  and  died  of 
a  congestive  chill  on  the  third  day  of  her  illness. 

I  remember  her  death -bed  as  distinctly  as  if  I 
had  seen  it  but  yesterday,  though  nearly  forty  years 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  ,97 

have  elapsed  since  I  stood  beside  it,  and  saw  those 
beautiful  eyes  close  forever. 

What  a  terrible  thing  is  death  !  How  the  sun 
darkens  and  the  moon  pales  and  the  flowers  fade 
and  life  loses  its  charm  under  the  blight  of  its 
presence  !  And  then  after  the  first  shock  of  agony 
is  over,  and  the  full  reality  of  loss  and  separation 
comes,  what  a  dreary  pall  overspreads  existence, 
and  how  utterly  empty  and  worthless  the  world 
and  even  heaven  seem  ! 

She  was  near  my  own  age,  and  she  had  been  the 
companion  of  my  entire  life;  I  had  no  thought  or 
aspiration  to  which  she  was  a  stranger  ;  and  when 
I  saw  her  put  away  in  the  cheerless  earth  my  heart 
felt  a  pang  which  rent  its  every  fiber,  and  left  a 
wound  which  has  not  healed  though  nearly  half  a 
century  has  poured  its  balm  upon  it. 

My  parents  were  utterly  crushed  by  this  blow, 
together  with  the  painful  circumstances  surround- 
ing it,  and  our  once  happy  home  was  transformed 
into  a  scene  of  mourning  and  an  abode  of  sorrow. 
We  carried  her  remains  to  Edenton  and  buried  them 
in  the  churchyard  of  old  St.  Paul's,  among  the 
friends  of  her  childhood,  where  we  all  then  hoped 
to  sleep  when  ''  the  last  of  earth"  had  come,  never 
dreaming  that  our  paths  were  to  separate  so  widely, 
and  that  our  bodies  were  to  be  scattered  to  the 
winds  of  heaven.  How  little  do  we  know  of  the 
future,  even  as  it  relates  to  the  locality  of  a  final 
resting  place  !  Of  those  who  have  borne  my  father's 
name,  one  sleeps  upon  the  banks  of  the  James, 
another  'mid  the  sands  of  the  desert,  another  in  the 
historic  soil  of  St.  Germain,  and  still  another  be- 
neath the  elms  of  Greenmount,  while  fate  has  or- 
dained that  none  of  those  who  loved  her  so  tenderly 
shall  rest  by  her  side,  in  the  old  graveyard  at 
Edenton. 


98  A  doctor's  experiences 

Durino;  this  drear v  season  I  received  a  letter  fi'om 
the  editors  of  '^The  University  Magazine,"  the 
organ  of  the  literary  societies  of  the  institution, 
asking  a  contribution  from  my  pen  for  the  number 
which  was  to  appear  with  the  opening  of  the  ses- 
sion. I  therefore  remounted  my  Pegasus,  and  at- 
tempted to  soar  to  the  realms  of  poesy. 

That  had  been  the  ''great  battle  summer,"  when 
revolutions  in  the  name  of  libert}^  had  been  at- 
tempted in  nearly  all  of  the  countries  of  Europe, 
and  the  names  of  O'Brien,  Kossuth,  Bem,  and  of 
the  whole  '^army  of  martyrs"  were  upon  every 
tongue. 

I  reproduce  the  verses  from  memory,  and  you 
must  take  them  for  "what  they  are  worth." 

The  banner  of  freedom  is  trailing, 

The  heroes  who  bore  it  are  slain, 
And  the  hearts  of  patriots  failing, 

Despair  of  its  waving  again ; 
For  the  hopes  which  told  of  a  morrow, 

Untainted  by  tyranny's  breath, 
Have  jjroved  only  beacons  of  sorrow, 

Alluring  to  exile  or  death. 

Tho'  loud  shouts  of  gladness  are  ringing 

Throughout  the  green  valleys  of  Gaul, 
And  pteans  her  children  are  singing 

O'er  royalty's  terrible  fall ; 
Tho'  cover'd  with  undying  glory, 

The  land  of  the  "  viiie  and  the  dance," 
C)ppression  still  revels  all  gory, 

In  the  heart  of  beautiful  France. 

And  thou,  brightest  gem  of  the  ocean  ! 

Where  now  is  thy  patriot  son  ? 
What  palm  has  his  noble  devotion 

To  thee  and  to  liberty  won  ? 
With  fetters,  alas !  they  have  bound  him 

In  a  dungeon,  far  over  the  sea, 
But,  heedless  of  shackles  around  him, 

He  weeps  only,  Erin,  for  thee  ! 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  99 

Xow  Niobe's  pulses  are  leaping, 

With  visions  of  glory  once  more ; 
And  hushed  is  the  voice  of  weeping, 

On  her  classic  but  desolate  shore. 
Alas !  the  bright  dream  is  as  fleeting 

As  the  foam  on  the  crest  of  the  surge. 
And  the  shock  of  Rexjublicans  meeting, 

Is  fair  freedom's  expiring  dirge. 

Again  that  proud  banner  is  streaming 

From  Hungary's  mountains  of  snow. 
And  gaily  are  all  its  folds  gleaming 

With  a  bright  but  transient  glow ; 
For  fiercely  the  Black  Eagle  swooping, 

A  cloud  o'er  its  Vjrilliancy  flings. 
And  leaves  it,  all  tattered  and  dropping, 

'Neath  the  blow  of  its  powerful  wings. 

For  freedom  the  Magyars  have  striven, 

Tho'  bravely,  alas !  but  in  vain, 
For  round  them,  still  firm  and  unriven, 

Are  the  links  of  a  festering  chain  ; 
But  the  page  that's  brightest  in  story 

AVill  tell  what  their  courage  has  done, 
While  onward,  in  grandeur  and  glory, 

Marches  ever  yon  radiant  sun. 

The'  tyranny's  bosom  be  heaving 

With  joy  at  the  victory  won, 
8till  fame  a  green  chaplet  is  weaving 

To  bind  round  each  patriot  son ; 
Tho'  clouds  of  misfortune  may  lower 

O'er  Kossuth  and  chivalrous  Bem, 
Yet  their  deeds  will  like  monuments  tower. 

In  honor  immortal  of  them. 

No,  never  were  richer  oblations 

Yet  offered  on  altar  or  shrine, 
Than  the  blood  which  these  val'rous  nations, 

Fair  freedom  !  have  lavished  on  thine ; 
And  the  din  of  the  mighty  commotion. 

When  the  standard  of  liberty  fell. 
Will  roll  o'er  eternity's  ocean, 

Like  the  toll  of  a  funeral  bell. 

I  turn  from  these  pictures  of  sadness, 

My  country !  once  more  unto  thee, 
And  hail  with  ineffable  gladness 

The  home  of  the  just  and  the  free  ! 


100  A  doctor's  experiences 

The  land  of  the  true  and  undaunted, 

Whose  soil  no  tyrant  has  trod  ; 
The  refuge  of  nations,  anointed 

By  the  hands  of  a  merciful  God ! 

Though  these  lines  are  not  poetry,  they  stnici 
the  fancy  of  the  college  boys,  especially  as  the 
were  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  the  times. 

This  gave  uie  a  good  start  for  that  session,  aiii 
despite  my  depression  of  spirits  ami  an  occasioiia 
attack  of  malarial  fever,  I  did  well  also  in  all  of  m; 
classes. 

The  chair  of  mental  and  mural  })hiloso})liy  \\  a 
filled  at  that  time  by  Dr.  Wm.  H.  McGuffy, 
good  man  and  an  able  teacher.  Although  not  ai 
orator  in  the  highest  signification  of  that  term,  vc 
as  a  lecturer  he  was  clear,  concise,  and  convinciiiL 
to  a  remarkable  degree;  and  I  feel  under  tin 
greatest  possible  obligation  to  him,  for  he  did  moi. 
to  develop  my  mind  and  to  mold  my  charactci 
than  all  other  professors  combined.  He  found  im 
a  boy  in  all  regards,  and  he  made  me  a  man,  in 
tellectually  and  morallv.  He  tauojht  me  how  t' 
think  and  to  utilize  my  powers  and  acquin.- 
ments,  while  he  inspired  my  heart  with  \)ni\ 
thoughts  and  sound  principles.  He  never  prcacli^'t 
in  the  lecture-room  or  worried  himself  over  the 
conversion  of  his  students,  but  he  inculcated,  with 
infinite  judgment,  a  deep  and  broad  Christian 
philosophy  as  a  rule  of  conduct  and  a  chart  for 
life.  I  am  confident-  that  by  his  marvelous  tact 
and  sound  reasoning  he  did  more  to  counteract  in- 
fidel tendencies  and  to  sow  the  seeds  of  sound  ethi- 
cal views  than  all  the  cantins:  seminarians  tojirethei . 

With  rare  penetration  he  at  once  detected  tlir 
intellectual  and  moral  peculiarities  of  each  of  hi> 
students,  and  adroitly  applied  himself  to  the  task 
of  cultivating  or  of  pruning,  as  the  special  case  re- 


f 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  101 

aired.  His  delight  was  to  take  a  man  ^'^ una- 
wares"— as  the  boys  expressed  it — and  thus  to 
est  both  caliber  and  acquirements.  One  day, 
^hen  I  had  to  plead  ^' unprepared  on  account  of 
iekness" — for  I  had  actually  been  too  ill  to  attend 
ectures  or  to  engage  in  study — he  said:  "Never 
aind  about  that ;  1  will  try  you  on  general  prin- 
iples,"  and  deliberately  "put  me  through  "  on 
ome  of  the  most  difficult  problems  of  "Butler's 
Analogy."  He  was  brimful  of  fun  as  well,  and 
lever  permitted  an  opportunity  to  pass  without 
laving  his  little  joke  ;  but  he  invariably  managed 
0  draw  out  of  it  something  of  practical  benefit  to 

•  he  class.  One  of  his  students — a  great  fuol  and  a 
ery  pedantic  one — always  answered  the  Doctor's 
uestions  with  much  verbosity  and  a  great  affecta- 
ion  of  knowledge.  On  a  certain  occasion  he 
'ailed  up  this  Mr.  G.,  and  propounded  some  sim- 
'le  question,  when  the  idiot,  placing  either  thumb 
Q  the  arm-holes  of  his  vest  and  throwing  his  head 
•ack  like  a  peacock  on  parade,  proceeded  to  give  a 
■iigthy  and  flourishing  answer,  which  concluded 
/ith  the  words  "and  so  forth."  The  Doctor  list- 
ned  ^attentively  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  and 
hen  very  quietly  remarked:  "Well,  sir,  all  of 
hat  may  be  true,  though  it  is  beyond  my  com 
•rehension,  but  the  proper  answer  to  the  ques- 
ion  is  included  in  the  last  Avordsof  your  discourse, 
he  '^  and  so  forth.'"  Our  peacock  was  never  so 
oluminous  or  magnificent  afterward,  and  I  ob- 

i  erved  that  his  name  did  not  figure  in  the  list  of 

!  ;raduates  of  the  school  of  mental  and  moral  phi- 

'  osophy. 

Just  a  week  previous  to  the  final  examination   T 

^'as  seized  with  an  attack  of  malarial  fever,  which, 

s  it  precluded  a  review  ot  the  course,  rendered,  as 

supposed^  my  graduation  an  impossibility.     The 


102  A  doctor's  experiexces 

night  before  the  day  of  trial  I  visited  the  Doctor, 
and  told  him  that  I  felt  compelled  to  "  withdraw" 
for  the  reason  given.  In  a  moment  he  made  me 
very  happy  by  saying  :  "  No,  sir  ;  don't  think  of 
it.  I  shall  graduate  yon  on  your  general  stand- 
ing in  the  class,  for  you  have  received  the  ^  max- 
imum mark'  for  every  recitation  during  the  entire 
session.  I  shall  not,  therefore,  take  into  consider- 
ation the  '  written  examination  '  of  to-morrow,  in 
deciding  the  question  of  your  graduation."  I 
went  into  the  examination  room  with  a  light  heart, 
but  I  did  my  level  best  to  answer  the  questions 
proposed,  and  I  had  the  gratification  of  learning 
afterward  that  I  received  the  '^  highest  mark  "  for 
them. 

This   gieat  and   good  man  has  gone  to  his  re- . 
ward,  which  has  assuredly  been  that  of  the  right-, 
eons,  as  he  did  his  duty  faithfully  and  well  in  all] 
relations.     Peace  be  to  his  ashes  and  honor  to  his  ' 
memory  !     His  proudest  monument  is  the  success 
which  has  been  achieved  by  those  who  listened  to 
his  instructions — by  those  who,  by  remembering  his 
teaching  and  following  his  example,  have  come  out 
victors  in  the  battle  of  life. 

It  is  a  source  of  pride  and  satisfaction  to  remem- 
ber that  I,  too,  "  sat  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel." 

One  of  the  most  charming  men  in  the  faculty 
was  the  professor  of  modern  lanojuao-es,  Dr.  Scheie 
de  Vere.  Bemg  a  foreigner,  and  having  many  of 
the  peculiarities  of  his  native  country,  it  was  a  long 
time  before  he  could  establish  agreeable  relations 
with  the  students.  His  strange  accent ;  the  curious 
blunders  of  language  which  every  man  "  not  to 
the  manner  born"  must  necessarily  make  in  lectur- 
ing in  an  alien  tongue  ;  the  ultra  style  of  his 
clothes,  and  the  thousand  odd  conceits  which  he 
displayed   in  as  many  connections,  made  him  for 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  103 

years  distasteful  to  the  boys  and  the  object  of 
their  perpetual  ridicule.  But,  after  a  while^  he  be- 
came more  acclimated — less  eccentric  in  language, 
manner,  dress,  and  general  deportment — and  an 
opportunity  was  furnished  for  a  better  comprehen- 
sion of  him,  both  as  a  man  and  as  a  professor,  with 
the  result  of  showing  him  to  be  an  accomplished 
scholar,  an  admirable  teacher,  and  one  of  the 
kindest  and  most  genial  of  men.  I  always  liked 
and  admired  him,  and  after  I  had  become  a  gradu- 
ate of  his  school  and  we  met  on  more  even  terms 
our  relations  culminated  in  a  warm  and  enduring 
friendship.  He  still  lives,  an  honor  to  the  school, 
an  ornament  to  society,  a  valued  worker  in  the 
field  of  literature,  and  the  object  of  great  affection 
among  the  students  and  alumni  of  the  University. 

The  most  noted  man  of  the  faculty  was  the  late 
William  B  Rogers.  As  a  philosopher,  a  scientist, 
a  lecturer,  and  a  gentleman,  the  country  has  not 
produced  his  superior.  He  occu|)ied  the  chair  of 
natural  philosophy,  and  his  lectures  were  models 
alike  of  eloquence  and  of  scientific  merit.  He 
certainly  was  the  most  dramatic  and  impressive 
man  I  ever  saw  in  the  lecture  room,  as  well  as  the 
most  attractive  and  entertaining.  Genius  ^vas 
written  in  unmistakable  characters  upon  his  brow; 
eloquence  flowed  in  a  copious  and  unbroken  stream 
from  his  lips  ;  grace  showed  itself  in  every  line 
and  movement  of  his  spare  but  symmetrical  figure, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  see  or  to  hear  him  without 
realizing  the  presence  of  a  man  upon  whon^  nature 
had  lavished  her  choicest  gifts. 

Having  carried  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him 
from  my  relative.  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Warren,  who 
had  known  him  at  Williamsburg,  where  his  first 
laurels  were  won,  he  showed  me  great  kindness  and 
consideration.     I  recall  with  pleasure  an  instance 


104  A  doctor's  experiences 

in  which  he  especially  treated  me  as  a  friend  ancTa 
gentleman.  One  night  I  was  visiting  Dick  Syl- 
vester— who  died  of  yellow  fever  at  Norfolk  in 
1855 — when  a  cry  of  "fire"  was  raised  on  the 
eastern  range.  We  immediately  rushed  to  the 
scene  of  the  conflagration,  as  did  every  student  in 
the  vicinity,  and  on  arriving  there  we  found  that 
some  drunken  fellows  had  collected  all  the  gates 
which  they  could  detach  from  their  hinges,  and 
had  made  a  honfire  of  them.  As  the  night  was 
cold,  and  I  had  just  left  a  heated  room,  I  naturally 
turned  up  the  collar  of  my  coat  for  warmth  and 
protection.  You  can  imagine  my  surprise  and  in- 
dignation when  I  learned  some  days  suhsequently 
that  an  officer  of  the  college  had  formally  reported 
me  as  ''  one  of  the  gate  burners,"  upon  the  ground 
that  I  had  been  seen  at  the  fire  "■  in  disguise." 

I  could  scarcely  believe  that  so  great  a  wrong 
had  been  perpetrated,  and  I  went  immediately  to 
the  officer  in  question,  and  demanded  to  know 
whether  or  not  he  had  made  such  a  report.  To 
my  surprise,  he  answered  angrily  and  brutally  that 
he  had  "made  such  a  report,  and  was  responsible 
for  it."  My  first  impulse  was  to  resent  his  arro- 
gance and  injustice  in  a  very  decided  manner,  but 
I  contented  myself  with  pronouncing  the  report  a 
falsehood^  and  the  assurance  that  I  would  "  not 
submit  tamely  to  such  an  outrage." 

I  then  sought  the  dean,  who  was  Prof.  Rogers, 
told  him  the  story,  and  demanded  the  most  search- 
ing investigation.  He  patted  me  kindly  upon  the 
shoulder,  and  said  in  that  bland  and  charmin.i; 
way  which  distinguished  him:  "  Restrain  your  ex- 
citement, my  young  friend.  I  threw  the  report 
in  the  fire  as  soon  as  it  was  received  and  said  noth- 
ing to  the  faculty  about  it^  because  from  my 
knowledge  of  your  character  I  was  certain  that  it 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  105 

could  not  be  true.  Now,  I  shall  call  upon  the  in- 
former either  to  apologize  or  to  leave."  He  did 
as  he  promised,  and  the  apologv  was  duly  made, 
but  I  recognized  that  I  had  made  an  enemy  and 
a  malignant  one  from  that  time  forward.  I  simply 
defied  him,  however,  and  left  him  to  make  what 
discoveries  and  reports  he  could  during  my  connec- 
tion with  the  college. 


106  A  doctor's  experiexces 


LETTER  VII. 

STUDY  OF  A  PEOFESSION. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  joined  tlie  Jefferson  Society,  which  was  then 
the  largest  and  most  respectable  in  the  University, 
and  I  took  great  pleasure  in  listening  to  and  par- 
ticipating in  its  debates.  Its  annual  celebration 
was  held  on  the  13th  of  April,  and  consisted  in 
the  reading  of  the  '^Declaration  of  Independence," 
preceded  by  brief  introductory  remarks,  and  in  the 
delivery  of  an  oration.  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
being  elected  "reader"  for  this  session — which 
was  considered  one  of  the  honors  of  college  and  was 
much  sought  after.  I  cannot  recall  what  I  had  to 
say  on  that  occasion  or  even  who  delivered  the  ora- 
tion. I  only  know  that  our  friends — according  to 
immemorial  usage— complimented  us  on  the  suc- 
cess of  our  respective  efforts,  and  that  we  were  very 
proud  of  being  en  vue  at  the  time.  I  am  proud 
also  to  say  that  I  had  subsequently  the  honor  of 
filling  its  presidential  chair,  and  of  delivering  its 
valedictory  oration — but  of  this  I  shall  speak  more 
fully  hereafter. 

After  my  second  session  at  the  University  I 
spent  a  year  at  home,  engaged  nominally  in  the 
study  of  medicine,  but  really  in  regretting'^  the  cir- 
cumstapces  which  constrained  me  to  adopt  it  as  a 
profession. 

These  circumstances  will  be  made  more  clear  to 
your  mind  after  you  have  read  attentively  the  fol- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  107 

lowing  substance  of  a  conversation  which  occurred 
between  my  father  and  myself  at  the  time. 

Father:  ^'You  did  well  at  the  University,  Ed- 
ward, and  I  am  delighted  with  your  success  there. 
You  have  reached  an  age  when  you  should  com- 
mence the  study  of  your  profession,  and  after  you 
have  had  a  holiday  and  have  rested  thoroughly,  you 
must  go  regularly  to  work  and  prepare  yourself  to 
help  me.  All  the  necessary  books  are  in  my  library, 
and  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  pointing  out  a  course 
of  study  for  you.     What  do  you  say  to  it?" 

Son:  ''I  am  ready  to  begin  my  professional 
fstiidies  to-morrow,  but  I  did  not  know  that  you 
were  the  possessor  of  any  laio  books,  father,  or  that 
you  could  indicate  a  course  of  legal  study." 

Father:  ''What  do  you  mean?  Study  law! 
Why,  T  have  intended  that  you  should  be  a  doctor 
from  the  day  you  were  born.  It  has  been  the 
dream  and  purpose  of  my  life  to  have  you  assist 
and  afterward  succeed  me  in  my  professional  work. 
I  cannot  consent  to  your  becoming  a  lawyer ;  it 
would  break  my  heart." 

Son:  "  Please  don't  put  it  in  that  way.  I  love 
you  too  dearly  to  annoy  or  displease  you.  I  would 
be  a  blacksmith  or  anything  else  if  you  really  de- 
sired it  and  had  set  your  heart  on  it ;  but  I  must 
tell  you  frankly  that  I  have  no  taste  for  medicine, 
and  that  the  first  wish  of  my  heart  is  to  study  law. ' ' 

Father  :  "  Don't  like  medicine?  What  has  pre- 
judiced you  against  it?" 

Son  :  ''I  am  prejudiced  against  it,  and  I  would 
rather  go  into  the  fields  and  hoe  corn  than  become 
a  doctor." 

Father:  ''You  amaze  me,  Edward.  What  has 
prejudiced  you  against  medicine?  What  are  your 
reasons  for  wishing  to  repudiate  it  and  thereby  to 
j)ain  me?" 


108  A  doctor's  experiences 

Son:  '^I  would  not  distress  you  for  Mr.  John- 
stone's fortune.  I  will  be  or  rather  try  to  be  what- 
ever you  propose — whatever  will  conduce  to  your 
happiness.  Mai^e  up  your  mind  to  that  much. 
But  let  me  tell  you  why  I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  doc- 
tor." 

Father:  ''Go  on.  You  have  always  given  me 
your  fullest  confidence." 

Son  :  •'•  I  do  not  wish  to  become  a  doctor  because  as 
your  son  I  have  an  opportunity  of  knowing  exactly 
what  a  physician's  life  is.  I  have  seen  you  sac- 
rifice your  comfort,  pleasures,  health,  and  every- 
thing to  your  patients — visiting  them  in  the  storms 
of  winter  and  the  heat  of  summer,  when  you  were 
ill,  when  your  family  needed  your  services,  and 
when  every  one  else  was  'taking  a  rest.'  And 
with  what  results?  Only  these  :  to  be  made  pre- 
maturely old  without  having  accumulated  an  inde- 
pendence ;  to  hear  much  talk  about  gratitude  and 
to  see  but  little  practical  manifestation  of-  it ;  to  be 
held  responsible  for  results  which  in  the  nature  of 
things  would  be  inevitable  ;  to  be  calumniated  by 
jealous  rivals  and  betrayed  by  pretended  friends.; 
to  be  worried  by  the  whims,  prejudices  and  conceits 
of  patients  who  have  been  snatched  from  the  jaws 
of  death  by  your  ready  skill  and  patient  nursing, 
and  to  be  treated  with  the  basest  indifference  in  re- 
turn for  hours  of  anxiety,  watchfulness  and  self- 
sacrifice  when  the  danger  had  passed  and  the 
grave  had  been  robbed  of  its  victim.  Do  you  not 
remember  your  experience  with  H.,  every  member 
of  whose  family  had  malignant  diphtheria,  and 
one  died  during  convalescence  from  over-feeding^ 
and  how  they  censured  and  insulted  you  for  not 
letting  them  knovv^  from  the  first  that  the  child 
would  die?  Have  you  forgotten  Mrs.  R.,  who  in- 
sisted that  you  should  visit  her  so  often  at  nighty 


IN    THREE   COXTINENTS.  109 

after  her  balls,  dinners,  theaters,  parties,  etc.,  and 
then  permitted  your  bill  to  rerjain  unpaid  for  years, 
although  she  spent  a  '  mint '  annually  on  dress 
and  on  entertainments?  Have  you  no  recollection  of 
old  W.,  who  declared  that  you  had  ^saved  him  from 
the  grave,'  until  he  was  called  upon  for  a  settle- 
ment, when  he  veered  round  and  proclaimed  you  a 
quack,  insisted  that  you  had  charged  for  a  greater 
number  of  visits  than  he  had  received,  and  finally 
attempted  to  run  off  without  paying  you  anything? 
Now,  it  is  true  that  you  have  reared  your  children 
in  comfort,  and  have  been  able  to  give  each  a  good 
education  ;  that  you  are  acknowledged  to  be  the 
leading  physician  in  this  section  of  the  country  ; 
that  your  credit  at  the  bank  is  as  good  as  that  of 
the  richest  man  in  the  town  ;  and  that  if  you  were 
to  die  to-morrow  your  patrons  would  mourn  your 
loss  as  a  personal  calamity  and  talk  of  nothing  but 
your  triumphs  and  virtues  ;  but,  I  ask  you,  is  a  life 
^  worth  living'  which  has  in  it  so  many  cloudy 
days  and  so  few  sunshiny  ones?  Ought  a  man  Avith 
his  eyes  open  to  choose  a  profession  with  which 
such  annoyances  and  outrages  as  these  are  neces- 
sarily connected,  whatever  of  honor  or  glory  or 
recompense  of  any  kind  it  may  bring  ?  In  my 
judgment,  when  a  man  becomes  a  doctor  he  sells 
himself  to  slavery,  and  that,  too,  of  the  most  hu- 
miliating and  painful  character.  There  then  re- 
main as  alternatives  the  ministry  and  the  law,  and 
as  I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  called  to  the  former  I  am 
constrained  to  choose  the  latter  as  a  matter  of  ne- 
cessity. Doctor  LVlcGruffy  told  me  that  I  had  just 
the  qualities  of  mind  to  make  a  successful  jurist, 
and  my  taste  runs  strongly  in  that  direction,  as 
well." 

Father  :   "  There  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  what 
jou  say  ;  the  life  of  a  doctor  is  a  hard  and  thankless 


110  A  doctor's  experiences 

one  unless  he  is  actuated  by  higher  principles  than 
those  which  ordinarily  influence  humanity.  A 
doctor's  only  refuge  is  in  the  cultivation  of  a  senti- 
ment which  lifts  him  above  the  consequences  and 
the  considerations  which  you  mention,  and  makes  a 
sense  of  duty  at  once  the  soui'ce  of  his  inspira- 
tions and  the  measure  of  his  recompense.  The 
incidents  to  which  you  refer  were  disgraceful 
enough,  and  they  furnish  sufficient  evidence  of 
the  inherent  depravity  of  human  nature;  but 
they  have  produced  no  impression  upon  my 
mind  beyond  a  feeling  of  regret  and  sorrow  for 
their  authors.  Having  done  that  which  I  knew  to 
be  my  duty,  I  have  left  these  ungrateful  creatures 
to  their  own  devices,  and  to  all  the  satisfaction 
which  they  could  derive  from  them.  Life  is  too 
short  for  anything  else  than  the  simple  performance 
of  duty — for  doing  that  which  conscience  and 
judgment  unite  in  approving — and  then  in  letting- 
things  take  their  own  course,  relying  upon  God's 
justice  to  bring  them  right  in  the  end.  Calumny 
is  but  the  tribute  which  every  honest  and  success- 
ful man  has  to  pay  to  jealousy  and  failure,  and  the 
higher  he  climbs  and  the  stronger  he  shows  him- 
self the  heavier  is  the  artillery  which  the  vicious 
and  the  malignant  bring  to  bear  upon  him.  Many 
shameful  things  have  been  said  of  me  in  my  time, 
but,  clothed  in  the  consciousness  of  rectitude,  I 
have  suffered  them  to  pass  as  Hhe  idle  wind,'  and 
have  tried  to  let  my  daily  walk  answer  and  refute 
them.  With  your  proud  and  over-sensitive  nature, 
my  son,  you  would  experience  as  many  annoyances 
and  disappointments  in  connection  with  the  practice 
of  one  profession  as  another — with  law  equally  with 
medicine — unless  you  determined  in  the  premises 
to  rise  superior  to  personal  consideration  and  to 
live  only  for  the  discharge  of  the  trust  appertaining 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  IIU 

to  your  chosen  calling,  without  considering  whether' 
the  world  censures  or  applauds  you.  Man  is  a 
selfish  and  ungrateful  animal,  and  he  shows  these 
qualities  to  all  who  are  forced  into  intimate  relations 
with  him,  whether  medical,  legal,  ministerial, 
or  what  not.  As  to  growing  rich  on  the  practice 
of  medicine,  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  do  so,  I  ad- 
mit, even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances. 
Gratitude  expires  with  returning  health  ;  the  most 
honest  men  shrink  from  the  payment  of  a  doctor's 
bill  and  always  believe  that  they  have  been  over- 
charged ;  and  the  physician  with  but  little  practice 
fears  to  importune  his  clients,  and  the  successful 
one  has  not  the  time  to  do  so.  A  thousand  circum- 
stances, in  fact,  intervene  to  limit  professional  in- 
comes, as  well  as  to  preclude  a  medical  man  from 
amassing  great  wealth,  and  yet  a  large  majority  of 
the  profession  make  respectable  livings,  and  are  able 
to  supply  personal  comforts  and  educational  ad- 
vautao;es  to  their  children.  It  is  better,  if  one  has 
to  work,  that  he  should  not  be  supplied  too  liberally 
with  money,  as  an  independence  is  calculated  to 
render  him  more  indifferent  to  the  discharge  of  his 
professional  duties.  Wealth  in  fact  '  handicaps' 
the  doctor,  and  comes  between  him  and  the  best 
interests  of  the  sick  and  suffering.  If  you  should 
study  law,  I  know  you  would  make  a  good  lawyer^ 
because  your  ambition  would  prompt  you  to  master 
it,  as  your  knowledge  of  it  would  necessarily  have 
to  be  put  to  a  public  test.  Indeed,  I  believe  you 
would  make  a  great  lawyer,  for,  together  with  that 
immense  fund  of  pride  which  seems  to  have  been 
born  in  you,  you  have  an  acute  and  logical  mind. 
But,  my  dear  son,  there  are  two  dangers  which 
would  threaten  you  throughout  your  career.  Your 
sensitiveness  would  lead  you  into  endless  alterca- 
tions, and  your  life  might  be  sacrificed  in  some  un- 


112  A  doctor's  experiences 

necessary  affair  of  honor,  while  your  gifts  as  an 
orator  would  almost  certainly  carry  you  into  poli- 
tics, which,  according  to  my  observation,  is  the  most 
profitless  and  demoralizing  of  occupations.  Dr. 
McGuffy,  with  all  his  genius^  only  took  an  in- 
complete view  of  the  situation  when  he  advised  you 
to  study  law  upon  the  ground  that  your  talents 
fitted  you  exclusively  for  success  in  that  profession. 
It  is  true  that  any  man  can  be  a  doctor  as  doctors 
go,  and  by  carefully  '  hugging  the  shore'  and  fol- 
lowing faithfully  ^the  chart'  may  even  prove 
more  successful  in  securing  patronage  than  those 
who  are  his  superiors  in  intellect  and  knowledge  ; 
but  it  is  equally  true  that  to  become  a  great  physi- 
cian— a  shining  and  enduring  light  in  the  world 
of  medicine — there  is  required  as  much  power  of 
generalization,  subtlety  of  analysis,  accuracy  in  the 
application  of  principles,  and  readiness  in  the  use 
of  knowledge  as  for  corresponding  success  in  tlie 
law  or  in  any  other  calling.  Your  objections,  my 
son,  are  not  well  taken,  and  they  should  not  out- 
weigh the  graver  reasons  which  present  themselves 
for  the  choice  of  medicine  as  your  profession.  I  am 
getting  old,  Edward,  and  I  need  your  help.  You 
have  only  to  "assist  me  for  a  few  years  and  then  to 
fall  heir  to  the  fine  business  which  I  have  been  so 
long  in  building  up,  not  more  for  myself  than  for 
you — for  the  son  that  I  have  hoped  and  believed 
would  follow  in  my  footsteps." 

Son:  "  Your  arguments,  father,  are  potent,  but 
they  do  not  convince  my  judgment,  because  my 
opinions  have  been  the  growth  of  years  of  observa- 
tion and  reflection.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  a  doctor, 
and  I  do  most  earnestij^  desire  to  study  law  ;  but 
after  what  you  have  said,  I  beg  you  to  consider  the 
matter  settled.  I  will  go  to  work  on  the  '  dry- 
bones '  whenever  you  say  the  word." 


IN  tSree  continents.  113 

Father:  ^' I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  that, 
my  son,  and  I  shall  love  you  all  the  more  for  the 
sacrifice  of  inclination  which  you  have  made — a 
sacrifice  which  I  would  not  accept  if  I  did  not 
know  it  to  be  for  your  own  best  interests.  You 
have  worked  hard;  go  where  you  please,  enjoy 
3^ourself  for  the  summer,  and  settle  down  to  work 
in  the  autumn.''  ' 

80  the  matter  was  definitely  settled  and  my  des- 
tiny determined.  No  words  can  convey  an  idea  of 
the  real  pain  which  the  conclusion  occasioned  me. 
In  a  moment  the  dreams  of  my  whole  life  were 
•dashed  to  the  ground,  and  in  their  stead  a  plan 
was  substituted  which  I  had  always  regarded  with 
detestation  and  abhorrence.  With  me  everything 
is  steadfast  and  enduring  ;  my  feelings  and  pur- 
poses are  forged  of  iron.  It  is  a  matter  almost  of 
impossibility  for  the  currents  of  my  nature  to  be 
turned  from  their  wonted  courses,  and  I  cannot 
surrender  my  opinions  even  in  compliance  with 
the  dictates  of  better  judgments  and  the  exactions 
•of  altered  circumstances.  Barker,  the  phrenolo- 
gist, whose  knowledge  of  human  character  amounts 
almost  to  an  inspiration,  said  of  me  years  ago: 
^'  This  is  the  most  obstinate  of  human  beings  ;  for 
him  to  surrender  his  purposes  is  alnaost  an  impos- 
sibility." I  have  found  his  opinion  to  be  abso- 
lutely true,  and  to  my  sorrow  and  regret,  as  no 
one  knows  better  than  yourself.  It  has  been  diffi- 
cult for  me  to  yield  even  to  the  fiat  of  the  Al- 
mighty; w^hile  discipline  of  every  kind  has  seemed 
only  a  form  of  coercion,  against  w^hich  my  spirit 
has  ever  risen  in  rebellion. 

So  gloomy  and   despondent  a  state  of  mind   was 
developed  because  of  this  almost  enforced  abandon- 
ment of  my   long-cherished  purpose  to  study  law 
that  for  an  entire  year  my  intellect  seemed  to  lose 
8 


114  A  doctor's  experi*ences 

its  grasp — to  possess  neither  susceptibility  nor  te- 
nacity— and  1  made  such  indifferent  progress  in 
the  acquirement  of  medical  knowledge  that  my 
father  became  seriously  apprehensive  lest  I  might 
never  succeed  in  obtaining  a  diploma.  My  heart 
consented  to  the  change  of  plan,  but  my  brain  ab- 
solutely refused  to  follow  its  lead  and  to  respond  tO' 
its  suggestions. 

Exactly  the  same  thing  occurred  to  the  Hon. 
Kobert  H.  Smith,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
lawyers  the  South  has  produced.  He  was  born 
and  reared  in  Edenton,  and  on  attaining  his  ma- 
jority his  friends  insisted  that  he  should  study 
medicine — against  his  inclinations— and  he  en- 
tered my  father's  office  for  that  purpose.  He  came 
regularly,  pored  over  his  books,  and  seemed  ab- 
sorbed in  them,  but,  when  questioned  in  regard  to 
their  contents,  he  could  make  no  response — he 
showed  that  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  about 
them.  After  some  months  he  abandoned  the  study 
of  medicine  in  disgust,  went  to  Alabama,  studied 
law,  and  became  one  of  the  most  noted  jurists  and 
distinguished  statesmen  in  the  country. 

Finding  that  1  made  no  progress— that  after  a 
year's  study  I  could  describe  no  single  bone  in  the 
human  body— my  father  sent  me  to  the  medical 
school  connected  with  the  University  of  Virginia, 
but  with,  many  apprehensions  as  to  the  result  of 
the  experiment. 

Upon  my  arrival  there  my  friends  scarcely  knew 
me.  They  said  that  I  had  grown  prematurely  old 
and  had  lost  all  that  vivacity  of  spirit  which  had 
characterized  me  in  other  days.  I  attended  lec- 
tures faithfully  and  tried  hard  to  learn,  but  when- 
ever called  up  for  recitation  I  invariably  made  an 
inglorious  failure  and  came  out  of  the  lecture  room 
utterly  despondent  and  disgusted. 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  115 

This  went  on  for  about  four  months,  when  an 
event  occurred  which  had  a  marked  influence  upon 
my  college  career  and  placed  me  at  the  head  of 
my  class  from  that  time  forward,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  those  who,  forgetting  the  triumphs  of 
other  sessions,  had  measured  me  by  the  failures  of 
this  one. 

The  medical  class  of  that  year  organized  a  so- 
ciety for  the  purpose  of  discussing  medical  subjects 
and  of  having  an  oration  delivered  in  public  at  the 
end  of  the  session.  As  I  had  some  talent  for  talk- 
ing, my  friends  "put  me  up"  as  a  candidate  for 
"final  orator,"  as  they  termed  the  student  who 
was  to  appear  in  public  at  commencement.  They 
considered  my  election  certain,  but  on  the  night 
appointed  to  decide  the  matter  my  opponents  in- 
troduced twelve  new  members,  and  I  was  de- 
feated by  a  majority  of  three  votes.  This  trick 
produced  so  profound  a  feeling  of  indignation  in 
my  bosom  and  among  my  supporters,  that  we  all 
resigned  and  left  the  society  in  the  hands  of  the 
hostile  party. 

Its  effect  upon  me  was  magical.  The  principal 
argument  used  in  the  canvass  was  that  the  man 
selected  to  represent  the  society  should  be  one  who 
was  likely  to  graduate  in  medicine  and  that  I  stood 
no  chance  of  doing  so.  I  therefore  determined  to 
graduate,  and  to  show  my  adversaries  that  they  had 
made  a  mistake  in  their  calculations  ;  and  I  called  a 
meeting  of  my  friends,  thanked  them  for  their  sup- 
port, and  informed  them  of  my  determination. 
They  unanimously  advised  against  the  attempt, 
urging  that  it  was  difficult  to  graduate  in  a  single 
session  even  if  one  came  well  posted  and  then 
studied  faithfully  for  the  entire  term,  whereas 
the  very  opposite  was  true  in  my  case.  But  their 
advice  had  no  effect  upon  my  mind  ;  for  my  pride 


116  A  doctor's  experiexces 

und  ambition  were  excited,  and  I  felt  that  I  had 
rather  die  than  fail  to  make  the  venture,  and  to  suc- 
ceed in  it  as  well.  I  went  immediately  to  the  dean 
of  the  faculty,  and  asked  his  consent  to  become  a 
•candidate,  explaining  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  application  was  made.  He  informed  me  that 
the  rules  of  the  college  required  a  '^  notification  to 
the  faculty  in  writing  early  in  the  session,"  but 
that  he  would  strain  a  point  and  make  an  excep- 
tion in  my  case — so  that  I  entered  the  list  as  a 
candidate  for  the  degree. 

For  five  months  I  studied  sixteen  hours  daily, 
thinking  only  of  success,  and  sacrificing  every 
other  consideration  to  it  ;  and  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  coming  out  victorious  in  the  end — of  walk- 
ing up  on  commencement  day  by  the  side  of  my 
competitor  and  receiving  the  diploma  of  doctor  of 
medicine  of  the  University  of  Virginia.  The  ap- 
plause with  which  my  enthusiastic  friends  filled 
the  rotunda  on  that  occasion  was  deafening;  but  it 
was  the  sweetest  music  that  had  ever  reached  my 
ear,  and  it  amply  repaid  me  for  all  the  long  hours 
of  labor  and  anxiety  which  I  had  devoted  to  the 
task  of  "  getting  even  "  with  the*  ^sculapian  So- 
ciety. 

But  my  victory  did  not  end  with  the  degree. 
The  Jefi*erson  Society — the  oldest  and  most  honor- 
able of  the  college — having  a  vacancy  to  fill,  and 
appreciating  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  selected 
me  as  its  valedictorian  for  that  session.  As  this 
was  esteemed  the  honor  of  the  college,  you  can 
appreciate  the  kind  feeling  which  prompted  those 
who  sought  to  advance  me,  and  understand  how  it 
gratified  my  heart  and  consummated  my  triumph. 

I  wrote  my  address  in  a  sinorle  nio^ht — after  hav- 

nil'  o  O 

mg  heard  the  result  of  the  examination — -and 
though  neither  so  concise  nor  coherent  as  it  might 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  11 T 

have  been,  it  was  brim  full  of  enthusiasm  and  my 
friends  thought  it  splendid. 

Thus  it  was  that  disaster  was  transformed  into 
triumph,  and  that  a  night  of  darkness  and  disap- 
pointment was  succeeded  by  a  morning  of  sunshine 
and  rejoicing. 

During  all  this  time  I  had  never  informed  my 
father  of  my  purpose,  and  when  I  returned  honae 
he  was  perfectly  ignorant  of  what  I  had  under- 
taken and  accomplished.  In  response  to  his  in- 
quiries, I  opened  my  trunk,  and,  without  a  word 
of  explanation,  placed  the  ''diploma"  and  the 
''  programme  of  the  final  exercises  "  in  his  hands. 
In  a  moment  tears  of  joy  were  coursing  down  his 
cheeks,  and  clasping  me  in  his  arms,  he  murmured, 
"  Thank  you,  my  son,"  in  tones  of  such  tender  and 
touching  pathos  as  have  proved  a  perennial  source 
of  pride  and  pleasure  to  my  heart.  I  thanked 
God  for  my  defeat  in  the  ^sculapian  Society 
since  ;  but  for  that  disappointment  I  should  have 
passed  the  session  in  "  inglorious  ease,"  and  have 
burne  off  no  trophies  with  which  to  delight  the 
soul  of  that  great  and  good  old  man. 

Pari  'passu  with  the  study  of  medicine,  there  was 
developed  in  me  a  love  for  it  which  has  ever  since 
been  a  part  of  my  being,  growing  with  each  year 
of  my  existence  and  controlling  and  directing  my 
entire  life. 

The  University  of  Virginia  possesses  no  clinical 
advantages,  and  though  thoroughly  grounded  in 
the  principles  of  medicine,  I  was  profoundly  igno- 
rant of  disease  save  as  it  was  described  in  the  text 
books. 

Hence  it  was  that  I  concluded  to  visit  Philadel- 
phia during  the  coming  winter,  and  sought  in  the 
mean  time  to  acquaint  myself  with  the  practical  de- 
tails of  medicine  at  hoiiie. 


118     ,  A   DOCTORS    EXPERIENCES 

My  father  owned  a  negro  man  named  William, 
who  had  been  raised  in  his  office  and  to  whom  I 
am  indebted  for  much  assistance  in  the  outset  of 
my  career.  Possessing  great  natural  intelligence, 
and  having  taught  himself  to  read  and  write,  he 
managed  to  acquire  a  considerable  knowledge  of 
medicine,  while  as  a  cupper,  leecher,  and  tooth- 
extracter  he  was  unusually  skillful.  At  the  same 
time,  he  was  the  most  pompous  of  darkeys,  and  with 
his  bald  head,  his  erect  carriage,  his  long  black 
coat,  his  faultless  collar,  and  his  redundance  of 
technical  terms,  he  was  the  very  type  of  the  old- 
fashioned  ''country  doctor."  He  prided  himself 
on  being  "a  gentleman  of  quality,"  and  in  suavity 
of  manner,  scrupulous  politeness,  and  freedom  from 
guile  he  was  the  equal  of  any  man  who  claimed 
that  title.  And  yet,  to  his  superiors,  he  was  al- 
ways the  most  humble,  respectful  and  obedient  of 
servants,  never  forgetting  his  place  nor  neglecting 
any  duty  which  his  lot  in  life  imposed.  His  am- 
bition did  not  confine  itself  to  the  -'shop,"  but  as- 
pired to  the  "pulpit,"  as  well.  He  preached  or 
prayed  in  the  meeting-house  every  Sunday,  and  he 
occupied  all  the  leisure  at  his  command  during  the 
week  in  preparing  the  "exhortation"  or  "petition 
to  the  throne"  as  he  designated  his  ministerial  ef- 
forts. This  preparation  consisted  in  culling  from 
Webster's  dictionary  and  the  medical  works  in 
my  father's  library  the  longest  and  most  strictly 
technical  words  that  he  could  find,  which,  when 
the  momentous  occasion  arrived,  he  distributed 
through  his  discourse  without  regard  to  the  perti- 
nency or  to  the  comprehension  of  his  auditors. 
Despite  this  indulgence  in  "high  dicto" — the 
negro's  term  for  language  which  is  beyond  ordi- 
nary comprehension — his  discourses  abounded  in 
much  hard  sense  and  true  religious  fervor,  while 


IN   THREE   COXTIXENTS.      '  119 

the  J  were  delivered  with  an  unction  which  would 
have  done  credit  to  any  hishop  in  the  land.  At 
any  rate,  whether  his  high-flown  terms  were  un- 
derstood or  not,  his  efforts  were  accepted  by  "  the 
-congregation"  as  masterpieces  of  eloquence^  and 
neither  Bossuet  nor  Fenelon  ever  received  an  in- 
flnitesimal  part  of  the  homage  which  was  lavished 
upon  him.  Notwithstanding  his  pomposity  and 
the  superabundant  supply  of  vanity  with  which 
nature  had  endowed  hira,  no  kinder  or  truer  heart 
tlian  his  ever  beat  in  a  human  bosom.  He  loved 
those  to  whom  he  belonged  with  a  fervor  and  with 
a  steadfastness  which  stood  the  test  of  every  possi- 
ble trial  and  temptfftion.  When  '^escape  from 
bondage"  was  the  watchword  of  his  race,  and  free- 
dom was  easily  in  his  reach,  he  remained  quietly 
at  his  post,  as  humble  and  as  faithful  as  if  no 
"proclamation"  existed.  AYhen  liberty  was  posi- 
tively forced  upon  him,  he  sought  no  employment 
away  from  home  until  urged  to  do  so  in  his  own 
interest,  and  he  brought  the  first  fruits  of  his  labor 
and  proposed  to  devote  them  to  the  support  of  those 
wdiom  he  loved  so  well.  And  ever  since,  whenever 
the  occasion  has  offered,  he  has  never  failed  to 
manifest  the  most  profound  respect  and  the  tender- 
€st  affection  for  his  "old  master  and  mistress,"  as 
he  still  delights  to  call  them. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  of  many  others  of  a 
kindred  nature,  it  is  impossible  for  m.e  to  take  into 
consideration  the  color  of  his  skin  or  the  quality  of 
his  blood,  and  I  can  only  feel  toward  hira  as  a 
friend  and  brother — as  one  to  whom  the  best  affec- 
tions of  my  heart  are  due,  and  with  whom  I  would 
gladly  share  ni};  last  crust  and  my  bottom  dollar. 

It  is  a  little  singular  that  another  man  of  the 
same  name,  race  and  character  should  have  been 
linked  with  my  destiny  for  nearly  twenty  years  in 


120  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  capacity  of  a  servant,  but  really  in  the  relation 
of  a  friend,  and  a  most  devoted  and  faithful  one,  as 
you  know  full  well.  Of  him,  however,  I  shall  speak 
more  fully  in  another  portion  of  this  narrative. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  in  this  connection 
that  I  pride  myself  on  being  a  friend  of  the  negroes; 
for,  in  my  judgment,  they  possess  some  excellent 
traits  of  character  and  compare  favorably  in  many 
important  respects  with  their  more  pretentious 
brothers.  The  conduct  of  the  slaves  of  the  South 
— and  I  speak  from  my  own  observation  and  ex- 
perience— during  the  war  between  the  sections^ 
was  admirable  beyond  precedent  or  parallel. 

While  a  conflict  was  waging  which  was  to  decide 
the  question  of  their  emancipation  or  the  perpetu- 
ation of  their  bondage,  they  remained  apparently 
disinterested  spectators  of  the  scene,  laboring  with 
their  wonted  fidelity,  and  protecting  the  wives  and 
children  of  their  masters,  who  were  really  fight- 
ing against  their  most  essential  interests.  Gi-reater 
docility,  devotion  to  duty,  and  disregard  of  selfish 
considerations  were  never  chronicled  before  in  the 
history  of  humanity.  Their  conduct  in  this  con- 
nection teaches,  however,  one  significant  le&son 
which  it  is  important  to  remember:  it  shows  that 
notwithstanding  the  evils  which  necessarily  asso- 
ciated themselves  with  the  '^peculiar  institution," 
the  relations  between  their  masters  and  themselves 
were  not  illustrated  by  acts  of  cruelty  on  the  one 
side  and  by  a  spirit  of  vindictiveness  on  .the  other 
as  so  much  ink  has  been  consumed  in  the  attempt  to 
demonstrate. 

The  abolition  of  slavery  is  not  to  be  regretted^ 
even  by  those  who  lost  so  heavily  in  the  premises. 
Previous  to  the  war  the  negroes  of  the  South  were 
certainly  better  fed,  clothed,  and  cared  for  than 
the  laborers  of  any  other  country  under   the  sun. 


IN    THREE   CONTOEXTS.  121 

and  their  masters  were,  consequently,  subjected  to 
a  heavier  expense,  and  were  more  fettered  by  re- 
sponsibilities and  obligations  than  their  employers 
have  been  since  or  can  possibly  be  again.  In  those 
clays  labor  consumed  nearly  all  that  it  produced, 
leaving  but  a  small  margin  for  the  luxuries  of 
life  and  adding  nothing  to  capital  save  in  the  mul- 
tiplication of  itself — in  the  augmented  value  of 
slave  23roperty  from  the  natural  law  of  increase. 
Under  the  present  order  of  things  the  agricultur- 
ists of  the  South — those  who  formerly  owned  slaves 
—  gain  in  two  ways,  viz.,  by  the  greater  amount  of 
work  done  in  a  given  time,  and  by  the  smaller 
amount  of  money  expended  upon  labor  ;  for  the 
young,  the  old,  and  the  infirm  have  now  to  shift 
for  themselves  without  being  a  tax  upon  their  mas- 
ters, as  they  were  in  other  days. 

Since  the  war  their  conduct  has  on  the  whole 
been  good,  the  only  exception  being  in  such  in- 
stances as  they  have  been  influenced  by  bad  ad- 
visers. They  certainly  have  shown  that  they  have 
had  no  special  wrongs  to  redress,  as  would  have  been 
the  case  had  the  stories  told  in  '^  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  "  and  similar  romances  been  anything  else 
than  pure  inventions^  concocted  for  party  purposes. 
Indeed,  the  legislation  of  the  country,  influenced 
as  it  has  been  by  the  abolitionists  exclusively,  in 
immediately  investing  the  freedmen  -with  the  fran- 
chise, furnishes  a  complete  answer  to  the  charges 
of  cruelty  and  inhumanity  which  have  been 
made  against  their  former  masters  ;  for  had  the 
negroes  been  the  degraded  creatures  which  such  a 
system  would  necessarily  have  rendered  them, 
their  elevation  to  the  prerogatives  of  citizenship 
would  have  inevitably  proved  a  disaster  to  the  Re- 
public— depending  as  it  does  for  its  very  existence 
upon  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of  its  citizens. 


122  A  doctor's  experiences 

That  they  are  naturally  kind  and  sympathetic 
when  left  to  themselves,  I  know  from  my  own  ex- 
perience. 

When  I  returned  to  Edenton  after  the  surrender, 
ruined  in  fortune,  shattered  in  health,  and  scarce 
knowing  where  to  turn  for  refuge,  the  friends  who 
rallied  around  me  were  the  negroes,  to  whom,  in 
more  prosperous  times,  my  professional  services 
had  been  rendered.  While  others,  who  were  under 
every  possible  obligation  on  that  account,  seemed 
to  forget  my  existence  or  arrayed  themselves  with 
my  enemies,  these  poor  creatures  overwhelmed  me 
with  expressions  of  sympathy  and  proofs  of  friend- 
ship. 

Theirs  was  not  that  species  of  gratitude  which 
quickens  under  the  stimulus  of  anticipated  favors, 
for  I  was  penniless  and  powerless  in  those  dreary 
days,  and  their  kindness  to  me  and  mine  were 
naught  else  tlian  the  natural  outflowings  of  real 
humanity — a  spontaneous  tribute  from  that  gen- 
uine loyalty  which  the  God  of  nature  has  planted  in 
their  bosoms. 

My  first  patient  was  an  old  negro  by  the  name 
of  Harry  Jones,  who  came  to  the  office  suffering 
from  an  aching  tooth,  and  praying  for  its  extraction 
— for  there  were  no  dentists  in  those  parts  at  the 
time,  and  physicians  were  compelled  to  act  as  their 
substitutes  so  far  as  minor  operations  were  con- 
cerned. Unfortunately,  my  education  had  been 
neglected  in  that  particular,  and  I  should  have 
been  less  embarrassed  had  the  operation  been  an 
amputation. 

I  was  therefore  only  too  happy  to  fall  back  upon 
the  advice  and  assistance  of  William,  the  nej^-ro 
man  to  whom  I  have  already  referred.  While 
pretending  to  examine  the  tooth,  he  very  quietly 
directed  me  how  to  apply  and  manipulate  the  in- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  123 

strument,  and  I  then  went  to  work  in  accordance^ 
and,  as  I  thought,  with  the  instructions  which  he 
had  given  me.  In  response  to  a  powerful  wrench 
out  flew  tiuo  teeth  upon  the  floor — the  one  which  I 
had  proposed  to  extract  and  its  nearest  neighbor. 
Overwhelmed  with  confusion  at  this  unexpected 
result^  I  was  seeking  to  frame  some  excuse  for  my 
awkwardness,  when  old  Harry  exclaimed,  as  he 
gathered  up  the  teeth  and  thrust  them  into  his 
pocket:  ^' Thank  de  Lord  !  you've  got  um  bofe  at 
a  pop.  How  in  de  gracious,  boss,  did  you  know 
dat  sometimes  one  ake  as  bad  as  de  toder?  Bofe 
out  at  a  clip  !  did  you  ever  beam  of  the  like.  Hur- 
rah for  Mars  Edurd!" 

^'That  is  a  new  style  of  tooth  pulling,  old  man," 
said  I,  taking  the  cue,  ''and  it  was  never  per- 
formed before  in  this  country." 

"■  Those  masticators  won't  disturb  you  in  the 
hereafter,"  chimed  in  my  good  friend  William  ; 
^'  and  you  ouglit  to  be  mighty  grateful  for  getting 
them  both  eradicated  at  one  evolution  of  the  cor- 
pus. My  young  master's  got  real  gumption,  and 
he  don't  take  two  bites  at  a  cherry,  nor  at  a 
tooth  either,  Uncle  Harry." 

The  old  fellow  gathered  himself  up  and  went  on 
his  way  rejoicing  ;  and  telling  the  story  far  and 
wide  of  my  wonderful  '^  gumption"  and  dexterity, 
I  suddenly  found  myself  famed  throughout  that 
part  of  the  country  as  a  tooth -puller.  Thus  it  is 
that  ''great  streams  from  little  fountains  flow" 
and  that  a  man  often  reaps  more  than  he  sows  or 
counts  upon,  both  of  good  and  of  evil. 

My  reputation  as  an  oculist  soon  became  as  great 
as  my  fame  as  a  dentist,  and  on  grounds  hardly 
more  substantial. 

A  young  woman  named  Betsey  Miller,  who  re- 
sided in   "  Cowpen-neck"  and  had   the  reputation 


124  A  doctor's  experiences 

of  possessing  the  longest  tongue  in  the  coui^ty, 
came  to  me  for  the  treatment  of  her  eyes.  She  was 
suffering  from  ophthalmia,  and  had  been  treated  by 
a  number  of  physicians  who  had  failed  to  cure  her 
— doubtless  because  they  became  weary  of  her 
^'jaw,"  and  gave  up  the  case.  Having  succeeded 
in  curing  her,  for  the  reason  that,  as  a  beginner,  I 
took  more  pains  to  succeed,  she  asked  William  one. 
day  to  tell  her  exactly  what  I  had  done,  so  that 
she  might  be  prepared  for  any  other  attack.  As 
with  all  his  fantastic  ways  he  had  plenty  of  fun  in 
him,  he  replied,  •'  Well,  Mistress  Miller,  it's 
against  the  rules  of  our  profession  to  discourse  on 
such  scientific  matters  with  outsiders,  but  I  will 
make  a  deception  with  you.  Master  Edward,  3  ou 
see,  is  a  great  ocuologist,  and  he  can  do  strange 
and  multitudinous  things  in  visual  surgery,  so  he 
just  slipped  your  eyes  out  of  their  sockets,  washed 
them  with  a  pharmaceutical  lotion,  and  returned 
them  to  their  normal  position,  sound  and  well.  It 
is  a  wonderful  recuperation  that  he  has  made.  Mis- 
tress Miller,  and  you  ought  to  be  mighty  gratui- 
tous for  it,  I  can  tell  you." 

"Took  them  out  of  their  sockets?"  cried  Miss 
Betsey,  opening  her  eyes  wider  than  they  had  ever 
been  before  with  amazement  and  credulity  ;  ''bless 
my  life,  it  is  wonderful !  And  that  is  why  he 
bandaged  one  while  he  worked  on  the  other — to 
keep  me  from  seeing  what  he  was  about.  Are  you 
sure  he  has  put  them  back  straight.  Uncle  Will- 
iam? Please  to  take  a  good  look  and  tell  me  the 
the  gospel  truth." 

"Straight  as  a  die,  and  sound  as  a  dollar,  Mis- 
tress Miller,"  answered  William,  chuckling  to 
himself  over  the  way  in  which  he  had  taken  her  in. 

"  Don't  listen  to  William's  yarns,  Miss  Betsey. 
He  is  only  romancing  a  little,"  I  put  in  at  once. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  125 

^'What  is  romancing?''  asked  the  young  woman. 

"Speaking  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  noth- 
ing hut  the  truth,"  answered  William,  with  the 
gravit}^  of  a  judge,  w^hich  so  convulsed  me  with 
laughter  that  I  could  not  explain  matters  hefore 
she  had  vanished. 

"  What  did  you  tell  her  that  whopper  for,  Will- 
iam," I  inquired,  when  we  were  alone. 

'^  Only  for  a  little  fun,  young  master,"  answered 
William.  ''  We  medical  men  must  have  some  di- 
version. Without  a  little  joke  now  and  then  the 
profession  would  die  of  the  blues.  She  will  find 
out  soon  enough  that  I  have  humbugged  her,  and 
will  return  to  have  it  out  with  me.  Don't  worr}^ 
3'ourself  about  that  innocent  little  fib  of  mine,  for 
you  will  never  hear  any  more  of  it  after  she  has 
jawed  me  for  stuffing  her  like  I  would  any  other 
goose." 

But  I  did  hear  ''more  about  it."  In  less  than  a 
month's  time  it  was  known  and  believed  througli- 
out  the  county  that  the  "young  doctor"  had 
cured  Betsey  Miller  by  "takino;  her  eyes  out  of 
their  sockets,  washing  them,  and  putting  them  back 
again;"  and  such  is  the  tradition  there  to  this 
day.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  contradicted  the  story. 
She  was  believed,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence, 
every  man,  woman  and  child  for  many  miles  around 
who  had  any  disease  of  the  eyes  flocked  to  my  of- 
fice to  be  cured  a  la  Betsey  Miller. 


126  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  VIII. 

A  AVINTER  IX  PHILADELPHIA. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

In  the  month  of  October,  1850,  I  went  to  Phil- 
adelphia to  complete  my  studies,  making  a  detour , 
as  I  have  previously  explained.  My  father  gradu- 
ated in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  but  alter 
due  consideration  I  matriculated  at  the  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  and  I  have  never  had  reason  to  re- 
gret the  choice.  Dr.  Miitter  was  certainly  one  of 
the  most  eloquent  and  instructive  lecturers,  and 
Dr.  Pancoast  one  of  the  best  operators,  that  this 
country  has  produced,  while  their  colleagues  gen- 
erally were  men  of  ability  and  learning. 

Being  anxious  to. see.  as  much  of  practical  medi- 
cine as  possible,  I  made  arrangements  with  one  of 
the  city  physicians  to  take  the  poor  of  his  ward 
under  my  professional  charge,  and  it  so  happened 
that  Professor  Bache  lectured  on  chemistry  at  the 
precise  hours  which  I  devoted  to  this  work.  As 
he  was  not  an  interesting  teacher,  though  a  profi- 
cient in  his  specialty,  the  number  of  students  who 
had  the  patience  to  listen  to  him  was  small,  so  in- 
considerable, in  fact,  that  he  soon  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish each  one  of  them  and  to  address  him  by 
name. 

When  the  time  for  my  examination  on  chemistry 
arrived  I  did  not  enter  his  sanctum  with  the 
bravest  of  hearts,  because  I  felt  assured  that  he 
would  know  that  I  was  not  of  the  faithful  few  who 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  127 

had  suffered  martyrdom  to  please  bim  and  to  se- 
cure his  vote. 

"  Take  a  seat,"  he  said  rather  gruffly.  "  Your 
name  is  Warren,  I  see,  but  I  have  no  recollection 
of  having  ever  met  you  before  to-night.  Have 
you  attended  my  lectures  ?" 

'^  Some  of  them,"  I  answered  meekly. 

"How  many,  sir?"  demanded  the  old  man 
sternly. 

"  Three  or  four,"  was  my  reply. 

"  Three  or  four,  indeed  !  And  do  you  expect  to 
get  my  vote  after  confessing  to  such  negligence?" 

"I  expect  to  get  your  vote  if  I  answer  your 
questions,  professor.  I  am  not  here  as  a  beggar, 
sir,"  I  answered,  a  little  frightened,  but  very  much 
nettled. 

"  Oh  !  You  think  you  know  enough  of  chem- 
istry without  my'instruction,  do  you?  Well,  we 
shall  see,"  said  the  doctor,  evidently  piqued  and 
angry. 

"  I  think  I  know  enough  of  chemistry  to  entitle 
me  to  the  diploma  of  this  college,"  I  answered. 

"  Well,  sir,  I  will  determine  that  question  for 
myself,"  said  the  old  man. 

He  then  went  to  work,  and  for  an  hour  plied  me 
with  questions  of  every  possible  kind,  embracing 
the  most  difficult  he  could  think  of;  but,  fortun- 
ately, my  thorough  training  at  the  University  of 
Virginia  served  me  well,  and  I  went  through  the 
ordeal  without  a  balk  or  a  mistake.  This  seemed 
to  make  him  furious,  and  he  finally  roared  out : 

'^  What  is  vitriolated  tartar,  sir  ?" 

"  A  substance  unknown  to  modern  chemistry,  at 
least  by  the  name  you  give  it,"  said  I,  very  de- 
cidedly. "  Professor  Rogers,  of  the  University  of 
Virginia" 

"  Professor  Rogers  !  "  he  exclaimed.     "  And  you 


128  A  doctor's  experiences 

1 


are  a  University  of  Virginia  man  ?     Why  did  jou 
not  say  that  before,  and  save  me  all  this  trouble?" 

"I  am  a  graduate,  sir,  of  that  institution,  and 
I  took  distinctions  in  chemistry  besides." 

''  All  right.  I  will  vote  for  jou  with  pleasure, 
as  I  should  have  done  without  asking  you  a  ques- 
tion had  you  told  me  where  you  came  from." 

"^  But,  professor,  what  about  vitriolated  tartar  ?" 

''  Oh  !  An  obsolete  term  for  sulphate  of  potash  ; 
and  I  only  wanted  to  take  the  conceit  out  of  you 
by  asking  a  question  that  you  could  not  answer." 

After  this  exhibition  of  amiability  on  his  part.  I 
explained  the  circumstances  which  had  compelled 
me  to  forego  the  pleasure  (?)  of  attending  his  lec- 
tures, and  we  parted  the  best  of  friends.  I  have 
no  doubt  this  question  has  "  taken  the  conceit  "  out 
of  many  a  poor  fellow  who  had  "  cut  "  the  doctoi"'s 
lectures  and  had  not  Prof.  Rogers'  training  to  fall 
back  upon.  Professors  are  much  too  prone  to  re- 
sort to  "catch  cj^uestions  "  in  order  to  embarrass 
students  and  to  secure  a  paltry  triumph  for  them- 
selves, without  remembering  that  they  may  thus 
disconcert  and  wrono'  the  most  deserving;.  I  have 
repeatedly  occupied  chairs  in  medical  colleges,  and 
I  have  made  it  an  invariable  rule  to  give  each  candi- 
date a  square  and  fair  examination,  taking  special 
pains,  at  the  same  time,  to  relieve  him  from  all 
embarrassment,  and  to  encourage  that  condition  of 
mental  composure  in  which  the  intellect  works 
with  its  wonted  ease  and  accuracy. 

I  boarded  that  winter  in  a  very  select  house  kept 
by  two  maiden  ladies  who  had  seen  better  days  and 
were  connected  with  some  of  the  best  people  in 
Philadelphia.  The  society  of  their  establishment 
was  elegant,  and  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  many 
charming  people  there.  Only  five  medical  students 
succeeded  in   gaining   admittance,  and   they   w-ere 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  129 

received  as  a  particular  favor,  and  on  special  recom- 
mendations. 

Medical  students  were  reojarded  in  those  days  as 
most  uncouth  and  uncivilized  specimens  of  hu- 
manity, and  they  were  popularly  rated  and  reviled 
as  Southerners  J  and  especially  as  Virginians. 
Whenever  a  disturbance  occurred,  the  "  students  " 
were  held  responsible  and  they  wej*e  generally 
treated  as  if  they  were  convicts  or  outlaws — as 
the  representatives  of  an  inferior  race  and  civiliza- 
tion. The  result  was  a  perpetual  state  of  warfare 
between  the  Philadelphians  and  those  who  had 
oome  among  them  to  engage  in  the  study  of  medi- 
cine, with  the  development  of  reciprocal  senti- 
ments of  aversion,  which  bore  bitter  fruits  for  both 
parties. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  germs  of  antagonism 
thus  sown  among  the  physicians  of  the  South  gradu- 
ally infected  their  entire  section,  and  became  im- 
portant elements  in  the  production  of  that  condition 
of  things  which  culminated  in  one  of  the  bloodiest 
wars  of  modern  times. 

Among  the  results  of  this  controversy  may  also 
be  classed  the  fact  that,  though  the  medical  schools 
of  Philadelphia  are  inferior  to  none  in  the  country, 
the  tide  of  Southern  patronage  now  flows  silently 
by  them  and  pours  itself  into  the  lap  of  New 
York,  a  city  which  has  ever  been  distinguished  for 
the  liberality  and  catholicity  of  its  sentiments. 

My  chum  was  George  Wilkins,  of  Northampton 
County,  Ya.,  with  whom  I  had  become  well  ac- 
quainted at  the  University  of  Yirginia,  and  of 
whom  I  can  emphatically  say  that  a  better  man 
never  entered  the  ranks  of  the  profession.  Pos- 
sessed of  ample  means,  he  has  not  engaged  actively 
in  the  practice  of  medicine,  but  he  has  never  failed 
to  command  the  respect  of  the  community  in  which 


130  A  doctor's  experiences 

he  lives,  and  especially  of  those  who  know  him  in- 
timately. We  have  been  friends  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  and  we  shall  continue  such  to  the  end, 
which  cannot  be  very  distant  from  either  of  us. 

Among  my  student  friends  there  was  a  young  man 
from  Virginia,  who  really  belonged  to  one  of  the 
''  first  families  "  of  that  State,  and  who  was  dis- 
tinguished not  less  for  his  brilliant  intellect  than 
lor  his  vivacity  and  light-heartedness.  He  was,  in 
fact,  one  of  those  bright,  jovial,  irrepressible, 
whole-souled  men  who  seem  born  alone  for  sun- 
shine and  happiness.  His  joyous  laughter,  his 
snatches  of  merry  song  and  his  sparkling  jests 
ring  ever  through  mj  memory  like  some  sweet  re- 
frain from  the  shores  of  the  past.  Besides,  he  was 
the  handsomest  fellow  in  his  class.  Tall  and 
graceful  in  person,  his  oval  forehead  shaded  with 
chestnut  curls,  his  bright  eyes  reflecting  the  deep- 
est blue  of  the  skies,  and  with  a  nose  and  mouth 
unsurpassed  in  symmetry  by  any  creation  of  classic 
art,  he  seemed  almost  feminine  in  his  personal  at- 
tractions. After  a  brilliant  examination  he  gradu- 
ated in  medicine  and  turned  his  face  homeward, 
followed  by  the  best  wishes  of  the  entire  class,  and 
seemingly  with  the  most  brilliant  future  before  him. 

For  more  than  twelve  years  I  never  saw  or  heard 
of  him,  and  I  supposed  that  his  life  had  fulfilled 
its  promise  ;  that  he  had  reaped  as  rich  a  harvest 
of  the  world's  blessings  and  honors  as  he  had  ex- 
pected and  deserved. 

But  I  was  woefully  mistaken.  One,  night  dur- 
ing the  war  I  was  in  Richmond,  and  had  retired 
to  rest  in  the  old  Spottswood  Hotel,  when  there 
Avas  a  rap  at  my  door,  and  a  man  entered,  who 
greeted  me  with  a  cordial  shake  of  the  hand,  and 
the  familiar  salutation:  '-How  goes  it,  Ned?" 
'^  You  have  the  advantage  of  me,  sir,"  said  I,  as  I 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  131 

recognized  neither  the  voice  nor  the  face  of  my 
visitor.      '-  Don't  know  me  ?     I  am  your  old  friend, 

Bob  H ;  I  certainly,  then,  must  have  altered 

very  much,"  said  he. 

"You  Bob  H ?"  I  exclaimed.  '^  I  remem- 
ber him  perfectly,  and  you  have  neither  his  face, 
figure  nor  voice.  You  are  no  more  like  him  than 
I  am.  Such  a  change  could  not  take  place  in  a 
human  being.'"'  All  this  time  I  stood  with  my 
hand  upon  the  open  door,  neither  offering  him  a 
seat  nor  showing  him  the  slightest  courtesy,  he- 
cause  I  believed  him  to  be  some  ''  dead  beat "  who 
was  trying  to  take  me  in. 

^^Ned  Warren,"  he  said,  as  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks,  '^Is  this  the  reception  you  give 
an  old  friend  after  so  many  years  of  separation  ? 
And  I  had  such  a  favor  to  ask  of  you,  thinking  I 
should  find  you  what  you  were  in  other  days. 
Well,  it's  all  up  with  me,  and  I  won't  intrude  any 
longer." 

"  Convince  me  that  you  are  the  man  you  claim 
to  be,  and  there  is  nothing  I  will   not  do  for  you. 

If  you  are  Boh  H ,  tell   me  where  we  boarded 

in  Philadelphia  and   about   the  people  we   knew 
there." 

In  a  moment  he  went  over  the  incidents  of  our 
student  life  and  removed  every  doubt  from  my 
mind  as  to  his  identity. 

"  A  thousand  pardons,  old  fellow,"  I  exclaimed, 
embracing  him  warmly.  ''I  am  delighted  to  see 
you  again.  But  what  have  you  been  doing  with 
yourself  to  make  such  a  complete  transformation 
possible?  Your  own  mother  would  not  know  you. 
Bob,  for  everything  about  you^  even  the  color  of 
your  hair  and  the  tones  of  your  voice,  have  totally 
changed.  Take  a  seat  and  tell  me  all  ahout  your- 
self." 


132  A  doctor's  experiexces 

^'  Ah,  Ned,"  said  he,  as  he  sank  into  a  chair  and 
threw  his  tattered  hat  upon  the  sofa,  "  I  have  had 
a  hard  time  since  we  parted  ;  life  seemed  all  sun- 
shine then,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  only  clouds  and 
darkness  ;  practice  did  not  come  so  rapidly  as  I  ex- 
pected ;  my  money  ran-  low  ;  disappointments  of  all 
kinds  pursued  me  ;  and  I  sought  consolation  and 
oblivion  in  drink,  which  only  made  matters  worse. 
I  lived  the  life  of  an  obscure  'country  doctor/ 
just  managing  to  exist,  until  the  war  broke  out, 
when  I  '  went  in '  as  a  private,  and  have  re- 
mained in  the  ranks  up  to  the  present  moment. 
When  nearly  dead  from  the  combined  effects  of 
wounds,  privation  and  exposure,  I  applied  for  per- 
mission to  be  examined  for  the  position  of  assistant 
surgeon.  After  waiting  for  six  months  in  a  state 
of  mind  bordering  on  desperation,  a  favorable 
answer  reached  me  on  yesterday,  and  I  have  been 
given  two  days'  leave  so  that  1  may  appear  before 
the  board  of  examination,  of  which  you  are  a  mem- 
ber. I  am  to  be  examined  to-morrow  morning  at 
ten  o'clock,  and  as  I  have  never  been  a  student 
since  my  graduation,  and  have  not  had  a  medical 
book  in  my  hands  for  two  years,  my  rejection  is 
almost  a  matter  of  certainty,  which  means  that  I 
shall  have  to  return  to  camp  either  to  be  speedily 
^killed  or  to  die  like  a  dog,  for  my  health  is  utterly 
shattered.  Having  heard  by  the  merest  accident 
of  your  presence  here  and  of  your  connection  with 
the  board,  I  hurried  to  your  hotel  to  beg  of  you  for 
God's  sake  to  help  me — to  save  me." 

''The  case  is,  indeed,  a  grave  one.  Bob.  Un- 
fortunately, I  am  not  a  member  of  the  Richmond 
board,  but  of  another  in  North  Carolina.  The  ex- 
amination will  surely  be  a  rigid  one,  and  you  must 
not  think  of  standing  it  until  you  have  had  time 
to  prepare  yourself.     I  know  the  secretary  of  war 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  133 

intimately,  and  I  will  see  him  to-morrow,  state 
your  case,  and  get  you  a  leave  of  absence  for  a 
month  so  that  you  can  post  yourself." 

"  Unluckily,  you  can't  do  that  before  ten  o'clock 
to-morrow,  and  at  that  precise  hour  I  am  compelled 
to  appear  before  the  board.  Stand  the  examination 
I  must,  and  take  the  chances,  though  they  are  a 
thousand  to  one  against  me.  How  I  should  like  to 
succeed  !" 

"Then  I  will  try  the  next  best  thing.  The 
clock  has  just  struck  two  and  we  have  eight  hours 
to  work  in.  I  propose  to  devote  the  entire  time  to 
cramming  you  for  the  examination.  Having  served 
on  boards  of  examination  I  know  the  ground  which 
your  examiners  are  likely  to  take  you  over,  and, 
although  there  may  be  a  constructive  breach  of 
faith  in  it,  I  intend  to  prepare  you  as  far  as  possi- 
ble for  the  questions  that  they  will  probably  ask 
you  ;  and  I  am  sure  that  both  the  Good  Lord  and 
Jeff  Davis  will  forgive  me  for  thus  trying  to  help 
an  old  friend  in  distress.  What  do  you  say  to  my 
proposition?" 

"  It's  a  desperate  chance,  Ned,  but  a  drowning 
man  can't  afford  to  quarrel  with  the  rope  that  is 
throwm  to  him.  I  will  try  to  take  in  what  you  tell 
me,  but  I  am  as  dull  as  a  land  terrapin  and  as 
rusty  as  a  discarded  stovepipe.  I  know  the  Lord 
w^ill  pardon  and  reward  you  for  your  kindness." 

So  I  stirred  up  the  fire  and  went  to  work  to  pre- 
pare the  poor  fellow  for  the  ordeal  through  which 
he  had  to  pass.  I  found  the  task  a  difficult  one,  I 
can  assure  you,  for  he  seemed  not  only  to  have  for- 
gotten all  that  he  had  ever  known,  but  to  have 
lost  the  faculty  of  acquiring  knowledge.  I  made 
it  a  point,  naturally,  to  post  him  on  gun-shot 
wounds,  taking  my  departure  from  the  wounds  which 
he  had  received,  and  charging  him  at  the  same  time 


134  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  bring  them  adroitly  to  the  front,  so  as  to  lead 
the  examiners  upon  ground  with  which  he  was 
comparatively  familiar. 

Finally  the  hour  approached,  and  under  the 
stimulus  of  the  breakfast  which  I  ordered  in  my 
room,  he  became  a  little  more  hopeful,  and  began 
to  ''spruce  himself  up,"  asking  me  to  lend  him 
one  of  my  old  "citizen  coats"  so  that  he  might 
"present  a  more  decent  appearance"  before  the 
board.  "By  no  means,"  said  I ;  "  don't  think  of 
appearing  in  anything  but  j^our  ragged  uniform. 
Enter  the  room  as  if  you  had  just  tramped  in  from 
camp,  and  then  make  some  pleasant  remark  to  this 
effect :  I  hope  you  will  excuse  my  appearance, 
gentlemen^  as  this  costume  is  the  best  that  my 
wardrobe  can  afford,  and  my  rustiness  as  well,  for 
a  man  who  has  been  for  two  years  practicing  the 
art  of  killing  his  fellow  beings  must  necessarily 
have  lost  much  of  his  skill  in  curing  them.  At 
the  same  time,  avoid  all  discussion  with  the  mem- 
bers of  the  board,  and  be  sure  to  provoke  a  discus- 
sion among  them  if  you  can.  Don't  forget  to  bring 
your  own  wounds  conspicuously  forward,  and  trust 
to  the  Lord  for  the  rest." 

I  was  too  much  interested  to  remain  at  home, 
and  for  an  hour  I  paced  the  street  in  front  of  the 
building  in  which  the  board  held  its  sessions, 
anxiously  awaiting  the  appearance  of  my  friend. 
Finally  he  came  out,  looking  ten  years  younger, 
his  lace  radiant  with  smiles  and  tears  of  joy  stream- 
ing down  his  cheeks.  Throwing  himself  into  my 
arms  he  sobbed  out:  "You  have  saved  me!  I 
have  passed  !  I  have  passed  !  They  told  me  so 
before  I  left  the  room." 

"  Well,  I  do  most  heartily  congratulate  you. 
But  tell  me  all  about  it.  How  did  you  manage  to 
get  along  so  well?" 


IN    THREE    CONTIXEXTS.  135 

''Oh!  I  had  the  best  luck  imaginable.  The 
moment  they  saw  my  ragged  uniform  and  my 
generally  dilapidated  appearance  they  seemed 
kindly  disposed  toward  me.  They  fell  into  the 
trap  beautifully  which  I  baited  with  my  own. 
wounds,  and  having  asked  a  few  questions  concern- 
ing them  and  wounds  generally  they  got  into  a 
discussion  among  themselves  in  regard  to  the 
€old-water  treatment,  which  they  kept  up  until  the 
time  allotted  to  my  examination  had  expired. 
When  they  made  this  discovery  they  apologized 
for  their  neglect  (?) — for  which^  Grod  knows,  I  for- 
gave them — conferred  together  a  little,  congratu- 
lated me  upon  my  surgical  knowledge,  and  then 
informed  me  that  they  would  vote  for  me  with 
pleasure.  So  you  see  I  am  no  longer  a  '  high  pri- 
vate,' but  an  'assistant  surgeon,'  P.  A.  C.  S.  I 
€an  never  repay  you,  Warren,  if  I  live  a  thousand 
years  or  get  to  be  surgeon-general." 

"  Don't  talk  about  that  part  of  it.  Bob.  You 
would  have  done  as  much  for  me.  I  am  as  proud 
of  your  success  as  you  are.  Come  and  dine  with 
me  at  six  sharp,  and  we  will  talk  the  matter  over. 
Good  morning,  don't  forget  the  hour  for  dinner." 

Having  been  detained  a  long  time  at  the  surgeon- 
general's  office,  I  did  not  regain  my  hotel  until 
lialf-past  six  P.  M.  To  my  astonishment,  my 
friend  was  not  awaiting  me  either  in  the  hall  or  in 
the  parlor,  nor  could  he  be  found  though  I  searched 
everywhere,  especially  in  the  soldiers'  most  certain 
retreat,  the  "  sample  room."  I  then  went  up  to  my 
room  to  prepare  for  dinner,  and  to  my  astonishment 
found  the  door  unlocked,  but  barred  on  the  inside  ' 
by  some  obstruction.  Calling  for  assistance,  I 
pushed  it  open  with  difficulty,  and  found  upon  the 
floor  the  prostrate  form  of  ray  guest  I  left  him 
where  he  had  fallen   in  his  intoxication,  ate  my 


136  A    DOCTOR  S    EXPERIENCES 

dinner  alone  and  passed  the  night  in  an  adjoining 
chamber — to  find  him  on  the  following  morning 
sleeping  as  qnietly  in  my  bed  and  as  ranch  at  home 
as  if  he  were  in  his  own  tent  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Ra})idan. 

"Hallo!"  cried  I,  giving  him  a  heartj  shake, 
"the  reveille  has  beaten,  and  it  is  time  to  turn 
out." 

"  The  devil  you  say,"  cried  he,  springing  from 
the  bed  and  rushing  toward  the  door,  apparently 
in  great  alarm. 

"  Hold  on,  Bob  !  Where  are  yon  going,  and  what 
are  yon  about?"  cried  I,  catching  him  by  the 
shoulder  and  forcing  him  into  a  seat. 

"  Why,  Ned,  is  this  you?  I  thought  I  was  in 
camp,"  he  exclaimed,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  giving 
a  terrific  yawn  ;  "  but  now  I  remember  that  I  am 
to  dine  with  you.     Is  it  time  for  dinner  ?" 

"Yes,  and  breakfast-time  in  the  bargain.  I 
found  you  here  last  night,  dead  drunk,  and  you 
have  slept  for  twelve  hours  on  a  stretch." 

"  Oh,  yes,  yes,  I  remember  all  about  it  now — 
but  you  see,  old  fellow,  I  was  bound  to  '  celebrate 
the  day'  having  'curled'  the  board  so  beautifully." 

"  By  getting  drunk  ?" 

"  Yes,  of  co;irse,  but  I  got  drunk  like  a  gentle- 
man. It  was  none  of  your  rot-gut  or  new-dip  that 
did  the  business  for  me,  but  genuine  champagne. 
It  is  true  it  took  every  cent  of  the  three  months' 
pay  which  I  had  earned  with  my  blood,  but  I  was 
determined  to  do  my  celebrating  respectably,  and 
I  did  it.  You  know  that  I  had  to  support  the 
dignity  of  an  ofiicer  and  to  drink  your  health  at 
the  same  time." 

'  '■  I  don' t  see  anything  gentlemanly  or  respectable 
in  getting  drunk,  nor  do  I  wish  my  health  drunk 
in  champagne  or  anything  else  if  your  last  cent  has 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  13T 

to  be  spent  in  buying  it  and  you  end  by  making  a 
brute  of  yourself  besides." 

"  When  did  you  join  the  temperance  society? 
Have  you  forgotten  the  sundry  ••'  whisky  toddies' 
we  consumed  together  in  old  times  ?" 

''I  am  no  temperance  man,  Bob,  but  simply  a 
temperate  one.  If  I  had,  however,  the  slightest 
weakness  for  liquor  I  would  take  the  pledge  to-day, 
and  keep  it  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  have  not  for- 
gotten the  good  times  we  had  together  when  we 
were  younger,  but  I  would  not  drink  with  you 
again,  now  that  I  know  your  failing,  for  my  right 
hand.  I  do  not  wish  to  encourage  you  to  do  that 
toward  which  it  is  evident  you  are  already  too 
much  inclined — to  get  drunk  and  ruin  yourself.  I 
wish  that  alcohol  had  never  been  discovered  or 
could  be  abolished  toto  coelo." 

"You  are  hard  on  me,  Ned  Warren.  I  have 
only  'celebrated'  my  good  luck  of  yesterday  by 
drinking  a  bottle  of  champagne  like  a  gentleman  ; 
and  if  I  did  get  tight  on  it  many  a  better  man  than 
you  or  I  has  done  the  same.  I  am  surprised  at 
your  wish  to  abolish  alcohol,  considering  its  value 
as  a  medicine  and  in  view  of  the  lives  saved  by  it 
daily." 

"1  hard  on  you?  No,  Bob,  it  is  you  who  are 
hard  upon  yourself.  I  must  speak  plainly,  because  I 
am  really  a  friend  and  want  to  serve  you.  When 
1  first  knew  you,  you  were  one  of  the  handsomest 
and  happiest  fellows  in  the  world.  All  the  girls 
loved  you  ;  you  were  the  pet  of  your  class  ;  you 
were  the  hope  of  your  family,  and  you  were  the 
pride  of  the  community  in  which  you  lived.  Few 
men  were  ever  more  blessed  w4th  talents  and  pros- 
pects than  you,  twelve  years  ago.  What  are  you 
to-day?  By  your  own  confession,  you  are  a  dead 
failure  and  a  complete  wreck — blighted  physically, 


138  A  doctor's  experiences 

mentally  and  morally  ;  you  have  thrown  away  your 
chance  in  life  ;  you  have  disappointed  your  com- 
rades, mortified  your  family,  and  disgusted  the 
community  in  which  you  were  reared  ;  your  tor- 
tune  has  been  dissipated,  and  you  have  just  spent 
your  ^  last  copper  ;  '  your  '  troops  '  of  friends 
have  dwindled  down  to  one  solitary  college-mate  ; 
and  you  who  ought  to  be  a  professor  are  simply  an 
assistant  surgeon  in  embryo,  having  scraped 
through  by  the  very  skin  of  your  teeth.  Now, 
what  has  brought  about  all  this  ?  What  is  the  rock 
upon  which  your  life  has  been  wrecked  ?  You 
know  it  is  drink — nothing  more  and  nothing  less. 
It  is  alcohol  in  some  form  or  other  that  has  thus 
transformed,  demoralized,  and  destroyed  you. 
Let  me  ask  you,  then,  is  it  I  who  am  hard  upon 
you  in  simply  telling  you  the  truth  about  this  ter- 
rible vice  of  yours,  or  is  it  you  who  are  hard  upon 
yourself  for  indulging  it?  Talk  about  'celebrat- 
ing your  victory  with  champagne,'  as  if  the 
quality  of  tlie  wine  helped  the  character  of  the  act ! 
You  had  better  celebrate  it  with  a  dose  of  arsenic 
and  put  an  end  to  your  life  at  once  than  to  con- 
tinue it  in  drunkenness  and  disgrace.  Talk  about 
'getting  drunk  like  a  gentleman,'  as  if  there  were 
any  way  of  doing  a  disgraceful  thing  which  can 
transform  it  into  a  virtue,  and  add  to  the  respect- 
ability of  its  perpetrator  !  I  admit  that  alcohol  has 
its  value  as  a  medicine — that  good  results  attend 
its  judicious  administration — but  of  this  I  am  cer- 
tain :  for  every  pang  it  relieves  there  are  a  myriad 
of  pains  which  it  produces  ;  for  each  life  it  prolongs 
there  are  an  infinitude  of  lives  which  it  destroys, 
while  the  benefits  it  secures  as  compared  with  the 
evils  which  it  entails  are  as  a  pebble  to  the  Pyra- 
mids, as  a  stream  from  a  spigot  to  the  falls  of 
Niagara.     Taking    all    things   into    account,    and 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  139 

multiplying  its  therapeutical  value  ten  thousand 
fold,  I  am  convinced  that  the  world  would  gain 
largely  by  its  annihilation — if  all  there  is  of  it, 
whatever  its  nanfe  or  guise,  could  be  poured  into 
the  sea,  and  its  future  production  prohibited." 

"My  God,  Warren,  stop  !  What  you  say  pen- 
etrates to  the  core.  It  makes  me  think — a  thing 
that  I  have  not  done  for  ten  years." 

''You  ought  to  have  commenced  to  think  before  ; 
it  is  too  late  for  that  now.  Suppose  you  began, 
even  at  this  late  day,  to  act.  You  say  that  I  have 
done  you  a  service — have  saved  your  life  and  res- 
cued you  from  a  whole  catalogue  of  evils,  and  you 
talk  about  seeking  the  occasion  to  give  a  proof  of 
your  gratitude.  That  occasion  is  before  you  ;  grant 
me  a  favor,  and  make  us  '  quits.' " 

"I  am  at  your  service.  What  possible  favor  can 
you  have  to  ask  of  me?" 

"It  is  a  favor  to  me,  but  a  still  greater  service 
to  yourself.  Give  me  your  word  of  honor  that  you 
will  never  drink  again." 

"What  is  the  use?  I  have  sworn  off  a  thou- 
sand times  and  have  fallen  from  grace  as  often. 
There  always  occurs  something  I  feel  bound  to 
*  celebrate,'  and  I  find  that  the  pledge  is  not 
worth  'a  continental.'  I  have  not  the  moral 
force  to  resist  temptation.     I  only  wish  I  had." 

"  Make  one  more  effort  for  my  sake  and  your 
own.  Think  of  the  good  luck  you  have  had  in 
your  examination,  and  try  to  retain  the  commis- 
sion which  you  are  about  to  receive.  The  sur- 
geon-general told  me  only  yesterday  that  he  was 
almost  afraid  to  issue  it  on  account  of  your  bad 
habits,  and  that  he  should  keep  his  eye  on  you." 

"My  God,  lose  my  commission?  I  had  not 
thought  of  that.  I  had  rather  die  than  suffer  such 
a  calamity." 


140  A  doctor's  experiences 

'^  It  is  entirely  with  you  to  invite  or  to  prevent 
it.  Pledge  me  your  word  that  you  will  give  up 
drinking  altogether,  and  then  try  honestly  to  keep 
it — always  bearing  in  mind  that  to  break  it  means 
a  place  in  the  ranks  and  a  drunkard's  grave." 

"Yes.  and  I  will  do  my  level  best  to  keep  it. 
All  'celebrations  '  may  go  to  the  devil." 

"Are  you  in  earnest?" 

"  Yes,  in  dead  earnest." 

"  Then  repeat  after  me,  slowly  and  distinctly  : 
'  I  solemnly  promise,  on  my  honor  as  a  man  and 
as  an  officer,  that  from  this  time  forward  I  will  not 
take,  even  if  prescribed  by  a  physician,  one  drop  of 
alcoholic  stimulant,  including  whisky,  brandy, 
gin,  v;ines  of  all  kinds,  and  malt  liquors,  so  long 
as  I  live,  so  help  me,  God.'" 

He  repeated  every  word  with  emphasis,  and 
added:  "Candidly,  Ned,  I  have  no  faith  in  my 
honor  as  a  man,  but  perhaps  my  honor  as  an  offi- 
cer, backed  up  by  the  dread  of  losing  my  commis- 
sion, may  hold  water.  At  any  rate  I  will  do  my 
best  not  to  disappoint  you.  Good-bye,  my  dear 
friend.  I  shall  never  forget  this  visit  to  Rich- 
mond, and  the  most  pleasant  recollections  of  my  life 
will  have  you  as  their  head-center.  Thank  God, 
there  is  no  liquor  in  canlp,  and  I  can't  '  celebrate' 
with  the  boys  if  I  wanted  to." 

I  have  never  met  my  friend  and  proselyte  since, 
and  I  am  unable  to  say  whether  he  kept  his  word 
or  not.  I  only  know  that  he  did  not  lose  his  com- 
mission during  the  war,  and  that  he  surrendered 
with  General  Lee  at  Appomattox. 

I  have  gone  into  the  details  of  this  incident  be- 
cause it  serves  to  show  alike  the  fascination  and 
the  evils  of  drunkenness,  and  the  difficulties  which 
frequently  surround  the  question  of  identity. 

After  an  inteival  of  only  twelve  years  I  meet  one 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  141 

with  whoiD  I  had  lived  in  the  most  intimate  rela- 
tions for  months  and  of  whom  a  distinct  picture 
remains  in  my  memory,  and  yet  I  absolutely  fail 
to  recognize  him  on  account  of  the  complete  trans- 
formation which  has  taken  place  in  him,  physi- 
cally^  mentally  and  morally. 

I  recollect,  also^  having  seen  the  Prince  of  Wales 
when  he  visited  America,  and  of  finding  him  twenty 
years  afterward  so  completely  changed  from  the 
cadaverous,  gaunt  and  awkward  boy  that  he  then 
was  as  almost  to  stagger  me  in  regard  to  his  iden- 

I  am  quite  sure  that  the  differences  in  physical 
traits  and  intellectual  qualities  which  were  proved 
to  exist  between  the  youth,  Roger  Tichborne,  and 
the  matured  man,  ''the  claimant,"  were  not  more 
radical  than  those  which  could  be  established  in 
the  case  of  my  friend  and  that  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales. 

Although  the  claimant  resorted  to  the  most  des- 
picable means  to  prove  his  case,  I  have  always  be- 
lieved him  to  be  the  veritable  heir,  and  such  I 
know  to  be  the  opinion  of  many  intelligent  and 
disinterested  men  in  England  and  out  of  it.  He 
deserved  to  be  punished  for  his  perjury  and  his  at- 
tempt at  subornation,  but  not  upon  the  evidence  of 
non-identity,  which  was  mainly  relied  upon  by  the 
Crown. 

I  have  met  with  persons  who  had  forgotten  their 
native  tongue  and  were  unable  to  make  their  wants 
known  in  it,  while  to  forget  a  foreign  language  is 
a  matter  of  daily  occurrence.  I  have  even  seen 
Americans  who,  after  a. very  brief  sojourn  abroad, 
had  become  so  thoroughly  denationalized  as  scarcely 
to  be  able  to  recall  their  vernacular,  so  distorting 
it  with  alien  idioms  and  foreign  accentuations  that 
the    mothers    who   taught    them    to    speak    could 


142  A  doctor's  experiences 

scarcely  understand  what  they  were  driving  at  even 
with  the  help  of  a  dictionary  and  an  interpreter. 

I  am  reminded  here  of  a  singular  circumstance 
which  has  occurred  in  my  own  family.  When  my 
youngest  daughter  arrived  in  France  she  spoke 
only  Arabic,  but  having  acquired  French  she  has 
entirely  forgotten  the  former  language  save  when 
asleep.  Night  after  night  I  hear  her  talking  Arabic 
in  her  dreams,  using  words  which  she  can  neither 
recall  nor  understand  when  awake. 

During  my  residence  in  Philadelphia,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1850,  the  idea  of  using  morphia  hypo- 
dermically  for  the  relief  of  pain  occurred  to  my 
mind  as  an  original  conception.  Taking  the  hint 
from  its  action  upon  a  blistered  and  denuded  surface, 
I  concluded  that  it  would  act  more  promptly  and 
efficiently  if  introduced  under  the  skin,  without 
being  attended  with  greater  danger.  Filled  with 
the  idea  I  discussed  it  with  my  fellow  students,  and 
actually  prepared  a  thesis  for  graduation  recom- 
mending this  method  of  treatment,  and  proposing 
to  puncture  with  a  lancet  and  then  to  introduce 
morphia  in  solution  by  means  of  Anel's  syringe. 
Happening  to  meet  one  of  the  professors,  I  told 
him  my  plan  of  medication  and  attempted  to  discuss 
it  with  him,  but  he  took  so  discouraging  a  view  of 
the  subject — dwelling  especially  on  the  difficulty  of 
limiting  the  effects  of  a  narcotic  thus  introduced 
into  the  circulation — that  I  went  home,  and  in  a. 
state  of  despondency  destroyed  my  thesis,,  and 
presented  another  on  scarlatination,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  prevention  of  scarlet  fever  by  repeated 
inoculations — the  identical  process  which  Pasteur 
has  recently  adopted  in  regard  to  rabies  and  others- 
are  proposing  for  cholera  and  yellow  fever.  Soon 
after  my  graduation  I  put  my  idea  to  a  practical 
test  by  introducing  the  sixth  of  a  grain  of  morphia 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  14B 

under  the  skin  of  a  patient  suffering  with  a  violent 
rheumatic  pain  of  the  forearm,  with  the  result  of 
giving  immediate  relief,  and  without  the  induction 
of  an  unfavorable  sj^mptom. 

Although  1  do  not  pretend  to  be  the  inventor  of 
the  hypodermic  syringe,  I  do  claim  to  be  the  dis- 
coverer of  hypodermic  medication.  This  may  seem 
a  bold  position,  but  I  am  prepared  to  show  by  incon- 
trovertible evidence  that  I  conceived  of  hypodermic 
medication^  lorote  on  the  subject^  and  practiced,  it 
several  years  in  advance  of  any  other  person."^ 

I  have  already  related  the  circumstances  under 
which  I  left  Philadelphia  without  waiting  to  secure 
my  diploma.  This  document,  however,  was  taken 
possession  of  by  a  friend,  and  it  hangs  in  my  office 
to-day,  having  escaped  the  accidents  of  the  war — a 
memento  of  past  labors,  and  a  reminder  of  human 
mortality,  for  every  man  whose  name  is  attached 
to  it  has  long  since  paid  the  debt  of  nature  and 
gone  to  his  rest. 

My  eldest  surviving  sister,  Jane,  married,  in  the 
springof  1853,  Major  Stephen  T.Peters,  of  Virginia, 
a  ripe  scholar  and  a  most  charming   man,  and  as 

*  Apropos  of  this  subject,  I  reproduce  the  subjoined  letter 
from  Dr.  George  F.  Wilkins,  of  Northampton  County,  Vir- 
ginia, which  settles  the  question  of  priority  as  to  the  discovery 
of  hypodermic  medication : 

"  Eastville,  Ya.,  May  30,  1885. 
"  My  Deae  Doctor:  In  reference  to  your  inquiries  I  unhesi- 
tatingly state  that  I  was  your  room-mate  while  you  were 
engaged  in  the  study  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia,  in  the 
winter  of  18o0-'51,  and  that  you  then  conceived  the  idea  of 
injecting  morphia  subcutaneously,  and  wrote  a  thesis  recom- 
mending its  administration  in  that  manner  for  the  relief  of 
pain. 

"  I  remain  very  truly,  yours, 

"  Geoege  F.  AVilkins. 

"  To  De.  Edwaed  Wareen-Bey, 

Paris,  France."     ■ 


144  A  doctor's  experiences 

he  had  just  returned  from  a  trip  abroad  and  was 
filled  with  enthusiasm  for  things  oictremer,  he  soon 
inspired  me  with  an  ardent  desire  to  visit  Paris, 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  its  great  hospitals  and 
listening  to  its  renowned  professors.  Having 
worked  with  great  assiduity,  I  soon  found  myself 
in  position  to  realize  this  wish,  with  which  I  was 
glad  to  find  my  father  in  the  fullest  sympathy,  his 
kind  heart  prompting  him  to  any  sacrifice  having 
for  its  object  my  advancement  in  medical  knowledge 
and  professional  reputation.  I  therefore  perfected 
my  arrangements,  and  left  home  in  the  fall  of  1854, 
expecting  to  spend  a  year  abroad,  and  leaving  many 
tearful  eyes  behind  me  in  old  Edenton. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  145 


LETTER  IX. 

A  VISIT  TO  PAEIS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  sailed  from  New  York  late  in  November,  1854, 
on  the  steamer  "  Pacific,"  of  the  Collins  line,  and, 
considering  that  she  was  a  side-wheeler,  and  that 
it  was  the  season  of  ''  storms,"  we  had  a  good  pass- 
age^ and  arrived  at  Queenstown  on  the  morning  of 
the  tenth  day.  Only  a  little  while  before  the 
steamer  ''Arctic"  had  been  run  down  oif  Cape 
Race,  carrying  with  her  many  valuable  lives  ;  and 
as  we  passed  the  locality  of  the  disaster  every  coun- 
tenance wore  a  somber  aspect.  We  w^ere  the  more 
disposed  to  gloom  and  apprehension  because  of  the 
constant  sounding  of  the  fog-horn,  which  is  not 
exhilarating,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  Indeed,  there 
is  something  so  sepulchral  in  its  notes  that  they 
bring  visions  of  disaster  to  the  minds  of  the  bravest, 
whatever  they  may  say  or  assume  to  the  contrary. 
I  once  heard  an  old  salt  remark:  "Somehow  I 
can't  get  used  to  the  darn'd  thing.  I  never  hear 
it  without  wishing  I  was  safely  buried  once  and  for 
all  in  the  family  graveyard  on  shore,  where  I 
could  never  hear  it  again."  I  appreciated  his  feel- 
ings, and  sympathized  with  his  sentiments  to  the 
fullest  extent,  especially  on  this  occasion.  Taking 
into  account  the  number  of  ships  that  sail  the  sea, 
the  difficulty  of  locating  the  sound  when  it  is  heard, 
and  the  fact  that  no  response  can  be  made  by  sail- 
10 


146  A  doctor's  experiences 

ing  vessels  and  icebergs,  the  wonder  is  that  the 
number  of  recorded  collisions  is  so  limited.  Doubt- 
less there  are  many  whose  histories  are  among  the- 
mysteries  which  the  day  of  doom  alone  will  disclose, 
for  the  merciless  waves  keep  no  record  of  their  tri- 
uphs.-  This  very  ship,  the  '^  Pacific,"  a  few  years 
subsequently,  left  Liverpool  with  a  rich  cargo  and 
a  full  list  of  passengers,  and  was  never  heard  of 
again — disappeared  forever,  without  leaving  a  trace 
or  a  token  behind. 

But  no  answer  came  to  our  warning  signals,  and 
we  went  on  our  way  rejoicing  at  our  good  fortune^ 
and  delighted  to  leave  the  Banks  with  their  fogs 
and  icebergs  in  our  wake. 

I  paid  the  usual  tribute  to  old  ocean,  and  was 
desperately  sick  for  several  days,  unable  to  leave 
my  berth,  suffering  with  perpetual  nausea,  dis- 
gusted with  life,  and  wishing  myself  "anywhere^ 
anywhere  out  of  the  world." 

Sea-sickness  is,  indeed,  a  curious  malady,  and 
the  theories  which  have  been  advanced  concerning 
its  etiology  and  the  remedies  recommended  for  its 
treatment  are  as  numerous  as  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
Some  persons  escape  it  altogether,  while  others  suf- 
fer from  it  invariably — no  amount  of  experience  or 
precaution  securing  for  them  an  exemption. 

I  have  crossed  the  ocean  many  times,  and  since  my 
first  voyage  I  have  never  exjDerienced  the  slightest, 
symptom  of  this  malady,  while  Captain  Nye  told 
me  that,  although  he  had  been  a  "sailor-man  "  for 
more  than  thirty  years,  he  never  escaped  an  attack 
of  sea-sickness  after  leaving  shore.  The  very  young 
and  the  aged  are  but  little  liable  to  it,  and  readily 
recover  when  attacked.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
affection  is  a  composite  phenomenon,  resulting 
from  the  combined  effects  of  shock  to  the  nervous- 
system  and  of  the  impression  made  upon  the  sen-J 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  14T 

soriurn  by  the  movement  of  the  abdominal  viscera, 
and  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  special  senses. 
The  nerve  centers,  being  surprised  by  the  sudden, 
unusual,  and  varied  movements  to  which  they  are 
exposed,  are  incapable  of  responding  with  adequate 
supplies  of  nerve  force,  and,  hence,  vasor-motor 
disturbances  manifest  themselves  in  deranged  ac- 
tion of  the  heart  and  arteries,  in  anaemia  and 
abnormal  irritability  of  the  brain,  and  in  disturb- 
ances of  the  secerning  organs  generally  ;  while  the 
oscillation  of  the  viscera  contained  in  the  abdomi- 
nal cavity,  especially  the  stomach,  together  with 
the  confused  and  peculiar  impressions  made  upon 
the  vision,  hearing,  taste,  etc.,  completes  the  con- 
dition, makes  up  the  pathological  entity,  to  which 
the  term  sea-sichiess  is  applied.  The  gastric  dis- 
turbances, which  constitute  the  most  prominent 
symptoms  and  the  chief  sources  of  discomfort,  are 
essentially  secondary  or  reflex  phenomena,  and 
should  not  be  confounded  with  the  disease  itself — 
should  not  be  taken  for  causes  when  they  are  really 
effects. 

The  attack  begins  with  a  sense  of  giddiness  and 
a  feeling  of  sinking  about  the  epigastrium,  which 
are  speedily  followed  by  nausea,  vomiting,  loath- 
ing for  food,  a  state  of  mental  depression  bordering 
on  despair,  constipation  of  the  bowels,  and  cold- 
ness of  the  extremities.  The  matters  vomited  are 
acid,  and  contain  mucus  and  large  quantities  of 
bile.  The  emesis  continues  or  is  reproduced  whe  i- 
ever  food  is  seen  or  thought  of.  A  certain  amount 
of  bile  finds  its  way  into  the  stomach,  as  there  is  a 
tendency  to  regurgitation.  Indeed,  it  seems  legiti- 
mate to  conclude  that  the  constipation  which  char- 
acterizes this  affection  is  due  in  a  measure  to  the 
fact  that  bile  does  not  flow  downward  into  the  in- 
testines, but  upward  into  the  stomach.     As  a  gen- 


148  A  doctor's  experiences 

€ral  rule,  the  nervous  system  gradually  becomes 
■accustomed  to  its  surroundings,  and  learns  to  ac- 
■commodate  itself  to  the  new  condition  of  things  ; 
the  shocks  are  less  felt  and  more  appropriately  re- 
sponded to  ;  the  circulation  gradually  regains  its 
■equilibrium  ;  the  brain  grows  more  insensible  to 
■disturbances  through  the  special  senses  ;  the  condi- 
tions which  invite  and  facilitate  reflex  phenomena 
are  removed,  and  the  symptoms  dependent  upon 
them  ameliorate  or  subside  ;  and  convalescence 
beo^ins  and  continues  until  the  normal  state  of 
health  is  re-established. 

Sometimes,  however,  reaction  is  delayed,  and  a 
chronic  condition  of  nervous  exhaustion  remains, 
which  IS  characterized  by  a  constant  disposition  to 
vomit,  coldness  of  the  extremities,  a  sense  of  con- 
striction about  the  temples,  attacks  of  syncope, 
insomnia  or  the  opposite  condition,  and  profound 
constipation.  Then,  again,  there  is  occasionally 
-associated  with  the  subsidence  of  the  more  acute 
symptoms  a  febrile  state  either  with  or  without 
gastritis,  cerebritis  or  other  local  complication. 

With  some  nervous  persons,  especially  thosre 
who  have  been  unable  to  relieve  themselves  by 
vomiting,  there  is  swooning  with  hysterical  mani- 
festations of  every  known  type  and  degree. 

It  is  a  popular  impression  that  pregnant  women 
abort  at  sea.  On  the  contrary  as  a  general  rule 
they  do  very  well,  especially  if  the  voyage  be  made 
after  the  third  and  before  the  seventh  month  of 
uterine  gestation,  as  I  have  learned  from  extensive 
observation.  It  has  become  fashionable  of  late  for 
the  newly  married  to  take  a  trip  abroad,  and  many 
a  reluctant  sweetheart  is  made  a  happy  wife  by  the 
promise  of  such  an  excursion,  not  remembering 
that  ''some  things  may  happen  as  well  as  others" 
over  the  sea.    Indeed,  I  look  forward  with  confidence 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  149 

to  an  annual  harvest  from  the  nauseated  and  dis- 
gusted brides,  who  instead  of  having  the  glorious 
time  abroad  which  fancy  had  pictured  under  the  in- 
spiration of  "love's  young  dream,"  are  compelled  to 
pass  their  honeymoons  in  cheerless  hotels  or  dismal 
jDensions,  nauseated  beyond  expression  or  vomiting 
themselves  nearly  to  death,  and  harrassed  by  the 
apprehension  of  their  inability  to  return  home  until 
a  baby  and  a  nurse  have  been  added  to  the  menage. 
I  generally  succeed  in  soothing  their  rebellious 
stomachs  by  the  liberal  employment  of  the  bro- 
mides, ingluvin  and  the  oxalate  of  cerium,  and  in 
relieving  their  anxious  minds  by  the  assurance 
that  they  can  recross  the  ocean  by  quietly  waiting 
until  the  third  month  of  pregnancy  has  passed.  I 
believe  that  I  have  been  thanked  on  account  of  this 
assurance  as  often  and  as  emphatically  as  for  any 
other  professional  work  and  without  a  mishap  in 
any  instance.  When  a  woman  in  an  interesting 
condition  crosses  the  sea,  there  seems  to  be  "a  little 
cherub  sitting  up  aloft"  especially  commissioned  to 
protect  her  and  the  helpless  babe  she  bears  ;  and 
you  know  that  Denman  long  ago  declared  that 
"she  who  vomits  most  aborts  least  as  a  general 
rule.  " 

I  have  noticed  one  thing  which  is  rather  strange 
and  difficult  to  account  for  ;  in  many  instances 
after  attacks  of  sea-sickness  the  menstrual  flow  does 
not  recur  for  a  month  or  tv/o  ;  though  the  per- 
manganate of  potash  in  two  grain  doses  three  times 
daily,  for  three  or  four  days  before  the  expected 
period,  will  generally  reproduce  it. 

The  treatment  of  sea-sickness  divides  itself  natu- 
rally into  the  employment  o^ preventive  and  of  ciuxi- 
tive  measures. 

I  am  convinced — and  I  speak  advisedly— that  in 
an  immense  majority  of  instances  attacks  of  sea- 


150  A  doctor's  experiexces 

sickness  can  be  prevented,  and  by  very  simple 
measures.  Should  you  contemplate  another  sea- 
voyage,  my  friend,  let  me  advise  you  to  tr}^  the  fol- 
lowing plan  of  preventive  treatment:  For  one  week 
before  your  departure  take  twenty  grains  of  the  bro- 
mide of  sodium,  twenty  grains  of  bicarbonate  of 
soda,  and  one  drachm  of  compound  tincture  of  car- 
damon  in  two  ounces  of  green-mint  water,  tw^o 
hours  after  each  meal ;  take  a  mild  laxative,  such 
as  Jackson's  aperient,  compound  liquorice  powder 
or  a  seidlitz  powder,  every  third  morning  at  an 
early  hour  ;  eat  liberally  of  simple  and  easily-di- 
gested food  ;  drink  with  your  meals  a  small  quan- 
tity of  the  stimulant  to  which  you  are  most  accus- 
tomed ;  and  live  as  much  as  possible  in  the  open 
air.  After  getting  on  shipboard,  make  it  a  point 
at  once  to  eat  a  good  meal  of  such  food  as  I  have 
just  referred  to  ;  to  go  on  deck  and  remain  station- 
ary there  ;  and  to  continue  exactly  the  same  treat- 
ment as  I  have  prescribed  for  three  or  four  days, 
when  the  laxative  should  only  be  employed  accord- 
ing to  the  necessities  of  the  system.  After  this,  the 
bromide  can  be  diminished  by  five  grains  for  each 
■dose  until  the  mixture  contains  none  of  it.  Do 
these  things  with  absolute  regularity,  and  I  will 
stake  the  best  hat  of  the  Boulevards  against  the 
poorest  one  in  Baltimore  that  you  will  escape  an 
attack  of  sea-sickness,  and  will  feel  better  when  you 
reach  Liverpool  than  when  you  left  New  York.' 

But  if,  perchance,  you  should  find  yourself  sick 
at  sea,  then  carry  out  to  the  letter  the  following 
system  of  treatment:  go  to  your  state-room,  remove 
your  clothes,  get  into  your  berth,  and  keep  your 
head  on  the  same  level  with  your  body  ;  inject 
hypodermically  one- quarter  of  a  grain  of  morphia 
with  one-sixtieth  of  a  grain  of  atropia  ;  cover  your- 
self well  and  apply  bottles  of  warm  water  to  your 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  151 

feet,  a  bag  of  hot  water  to  your  spine,  and  a  com- 
press saturated  with  a  mixture  of  the  tincture  of 
belladonna  and  camphor  water  to  the  epigastrium, 
keeping  it  in  position  by  means  of  a  bandage  tied 
tightly  around  the  body  ;  stuff  your  ears-  with  cot- 
ton wool,  tie  a  handkerchief  over  your  eyes,  and 
smell  cologne  water  or  some  agreeable  perfume 
from  time  to  time  ;  purify  the  atmosphere  of  your 
state-room  with  some  disinfectant  of  a  pleasant  odor, 
say  the  spray  of  thj^mol  or  eucalyptus,  ,or  by  burn- 
ing some  aromatized  pastile  ;  have  the  receptacle 
for  the  matters  vomited  perfumed  and  kept  out  of 
sight  until  it  is  required  for  use  ;  take  ten  grains 
•of  the  bromide  of  sodium,  ten  grains  of  the  bicar- 
bonate of  soda,  and  one  teaspoonful  of  com- 
pound tincture  of  cardamon  in  an  ounce  of  green- 
mint  water  every  second  hour,  and  a  half  glass  of 
milk  with  one  tablespoonful  of  lime-water  and  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  brandy  or  old  julep,  or  kirsch,  each 
alternate  hour,  for  six  consecutive  hours,  unless 
sleep  be  induced  in  the  mean  time. 

At  the  earliest  possible  moment  of  recuperation' 
go  or  be  carried  on  deck  and  keep  in  a  reclining 
position  there,  well  wrapped  up  ;  and  finally,  de- 
crease the  remedies  or  extend  the  time  for  their 
administration  and  get  back  to  your  usual  food 
through  the  intermediaries  of  beef  tea,  milk  toast, 
farinaceous  substances  generally,  ice-cream,  etc. 
Be  sure  not  to  surfeit  yourself  with  fruit,  for  it  is 
only  refreshing  and  diverting,  and  take  care  to 
drink  not  more  than  three  or  four  sherry  glasses  of 
champagne  during  the  day  if  it  be  taken  at  all. 
Do  not  forget  to  take  a  mild  laxative  on  the  suc- 
ceeding morning,  and  afterward  when  indicated. 
This  treatment  will  cure  you  promptly,  and  when 
the  attack  is  over  you  w^ill  find  that  vou  have  not 
lost  strength,  and  are  in  condition  to  gratify  the 


152  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

ravenous  appetite  which  usually  comes  after  "an  at- 
tack of  sea-sickness. 

The  great  point  to  keep  in  mind  is  that  bromin- 
ism  antagonises  that  combination  of  morbid  con- 
ditions whicli  constitutes  sea-sickness,  and  that  the 
sooner  it  is  induced  and  the  more  persistently  it  is 
maintained — provided  the  system  be  not  permitted 
to  become  enfeebled  by  it — the  greater  is  the  cer- 
tainty of  preventing  an  attack  and  of  curing  one 
after  it  has  been  developed. 

I  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  charming  peo- 
ple, notably  the  Homers,  of  Philadelphia,  Dr.  Epps, 
of  Virginia,  Miss  Matilda  Heron,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
George,  of  Baltimore,^  with  several  of  whom  I  had 
pleasant  associations  afterward,  as  I  shall  relate 
in  the  progress  of  this  narrative.  At  Liverpool  I 
stopped  at  the  Adelphi  Hotel,  which  was  then  the 
principal  house  of  the  city,  and  still  compares  favor- 
ably with  its  more  modern  and  pretentious  rivals. 
In  this  connection  I  would  say  that  my  experience 
of  depot  hotels  has  been  unfortunate.  As  a  general 
thing  their  princii3al  stock  in  trade  is  convenience 
of  location,  while  their  guests  get  less  of  substan- 
tial comfort  and  more  of  unblushing  impudence  for 
their  money  than  those  of  any  other  public  houses 
upon  this  side  of  the  ''water."  Certainly  they 
are  the  darkest  holes  in  existence,  to  judge  from 
the  number  of  bougies  which  illuminate  l' addition — 
it  should  be  called  la  midtiplication — with  which 
their  directors  delight  to  speed  the  parting  guest. 

I  remember  having  been  compelled  to  pay  on  one 
occasion  for  twenty-four  candles  which  "mine host" 
declared  had  been  consumed  in  two  bed-chambers 
between  the  hours  of  six  and  ten  P.  M.,  in  a  single 
night.  A  remonstrance,  made  in  the  mildest 
manner,  only  resulted  in  the  payment  of  the  bill 
on  my  part,  and  in  a  threat  by  the  proprietor  to 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  153 

have  me  arrested  as  a  swindler.  Such  is  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  world  ! 

On  the  second  day  after  my  arrival  I  visited  a 
small  manufacturing  town  about  sixty  miles  from 
Liverpool.  The  object  of  this  visit  was  to  take  a 
small  amount  of  money  which  a  friend  of  mine — 
an  Englishman  residing  in  America^  had  sent  to  his 
aged  mother.  He  had  requested  me  specially  to 
deliver  it  into  her  hands,  thinking  she  would  be 
pleased  to  see  one  who  knew  him  personally,  and 
who  could  tell  her  about  him  and  his  family. 

My  friend  had  been  successful  in  business,  and 
having  married  a  lady  of  position,  had  brought  up 
his  children  to  consider  themselves  aristocrats. 

I  had  great  difficulty  in  finding  the  object  of  my 
search,  as  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  the  name 
of  the  street,  and  no  numbers  by  which  to  distin- 
guish the  houses.  Finally,  by  diligent  inquiry, 
and  the  help  of  a  policeman  whose  language  I  could 
understand,  I  found  the  residence  of  the  lady. 
Ringing  the  bell,  an  old  woman  presented  herself, 
clad  in  a  calico  frock  which  had  s£en  better  days, 
with  a  white  cotton  cap  on  her  head  and  the 
stump  of  a  pipe  in  her  mouth,  to  whom  I  made  my- 
self known  and  stated  the  object  of  my  visit.  Fol- 
lowing her  into  the  humble  abode — for,  though  I 
could  not  understand  a  word  that  she  said  as  she 
spoke  the  Lancashire  dialect,  I  saw  from  her  gestures 
that  she  desired  me  to  enter  —  I  immediately 
begged  her  to  find  ah  interpreter,  which  she  did 
in  the  person  of  one  of  her  granddaughters,  a 
factory  girl  of  eighteen.  While  she  could  under- 
stand me  the  young  lady  had  to  speak  for  her,  and 
we  had  a  long  talk  together  in  regard  to  her  son 
and  his  children.  Though  she  plied  me  with 
questions,  I  saw  from  her  sighs^  tears  and  down- 
cast eves  that  there  was  somethins:  on  her  mind 


154  A  doctor's  experiences 

which,    though    it     troubled     her     greatly,     she 
hesitated  to  ask  about.     Finally  I  said  to  her  : 

"  Madam,  I  am  about  to  leave  you,  and  if  there 
is  any  further  information  I  can  give,  don't  hesitate 
to  call  for  it.  I  shall  be  happy  to  answer  your 
questions." 

''Well,  sir,"  she  said,  growing  red  in  the  face 
and  twisting  the  corner  of  her  apron  violently, 
''there  is  one  more  question  I  would,  indeed,  like 
to  ask.  It  is  concerning  a  subject  that  has  caused 
me  many  anxious  thoughts,  but  that  I  feel  a 
delicacy  in  talking  about." 

"1  am  at  your  service,  madam;  do  just  as 
you  think  best,"  said  I,  offering  my  hand,  pre- 
paratory to  leaving. 

"Oh,  I  can't  let  you  go  without  getting  satis- 
faction about  the  thing  that  has  worried  me  so 
much^  for  it  has  been  near  upon  thirty  years  that 
I  have  thought  about  it  and  prayed  over  it,  and  so 
wished  to  know  the  exact  truth  in  regard  to  it." 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  put  your  mind  at  rest  if  I 
can.     What  would  you  like  to  know?" 

"Well,  if  I  must  I  must,  bnt  you  won't  tell 
James  that  I  asked  you.  What  I  want  to  know  is 
this  :   are  my  grandchildren  very  black  ?'^ 

"  I  confess  that  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean, 
Mrs.  P.     Are  your  grandchildren  black  f" 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  asked ;  and  you  don't  know 
how  it  has  pained  me  to  think  that  James'  children 
are  black.  Are  they  very  black — as  black  as  their 
mother?" 

"  Why,  madam,  their  mother  is  not  a  negress. 
She  is  as  white  as  you  or  I,  and  so  are  her  children. 
What  could  have  put  such  an  idea  into  your  head  ?" 

"  Thank  the  Lord  !  Thank  the  good  Lord  !  I 
knew  James  had  married  an  American  woman,  and 
I  concluded  of  course   that   her  children  had  her 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  155 

complexion.  And  my  clear  grandcliilclren  are  white 
after  all  !     Now  I  can  die  in  peace." 

"  Why,  madam,  I  am  an  American  and  not  black, 
as  you  see.     What  did  yon  take  me  for?" 

'^WelL  I  can't  say  exactly.  I  thought  you 
might  have  bleached  your  face  wdiite,  or  that  both 
of  your  parents  were  English  folks.  I  am  so  glad 
that  you  came.  I  am  happier  to-day  than  I  have 
been  for  thirty  long,  long  years,  for  I  have  been 
thinking  all  that  time  that  my  grandchildren  were 
black,  and  praying  the  Lord  to  take  some  of  the 
color  out  of  them.     Are  you  not  deceiving   me?" 

''No,  madam,  1  am  not  deceiving  you,  and  I 
rejoice  that  I  have  been  the  means  of  thus  relieving 
and  comforting  you.  It  is  worth  a  passage  across 
the  Atlantic  to  be  the  bearer  of  information  which 
has  given  you  so  much  pleasure." 

And  I  left  her  crying  and  thanking  the  Lord  and 
blessing  me — the  happiest  woman  in  all  England 
that  day. 

I  have  since  found  out  that  it  is  a  common  belief 
among  the  lower  classes  in  England  that  all  Ameri- 
cans are  black,  and  hence  the  sorrow  which  had 
possessed  this  old  woman's  soul  for  so  many  years, 
and  the  joy  which  my  coming  brought  to  her. 

Many  times  afterward  when  I  saw  her  son's 
family  flourishing  in  society,  and  assuming  the  airs 
of  aristocrats,  I  recalled  the  poor  old  woman  over 
the  ocean  and  the  smile  of  joy  which  illuminated 
her  countenance  when  she  learned  that  her  grand- 
children were  not  black,  and  that  her  son  had  after 
all  married  a  white  woman. 

Such  is  American  aristocracy — its  roots  often 
running  to  a  tattered  calico  gown  or  to  a  "bob- 
tail" tobacco  pipe  in  "  the  old  countrie  !" 

These  were  good  people  at  heart,  despite  their 
aristocratic  assumptions,  and  when  I  saw  them  re- 


156  A  doctor's  experiences 

ducecl  to  poverty  by  the  war  and  compelled  to  work: 
as  their  fathers  had  done  before  them,  my  heart 
went  out  to  them  in  a  full  tide  of  regret  and  sym- 
pathy. So  runs  the  world  away,  and  it  is  thus  that 
the  pride  is  taken  out  of  men  in  ways  which  they 
have  not  calculated  upon  or  dreamed  of. 

Speaking  of  mushroom  aristocracy  reminds  me 
of  an  incident  which  occurred  a  few  years  since  at 
a  European  watering-place,  where,  for  the  nonce, 
it  was  reigning  triumphantly.  An  American  gen- 
tleman,  Mr.  P.,  of  New  Orleans,  was  spending  the 
summer  there  very  quietly,  but  as  he  had  neither 
the  talent  nor  the  inclination  to  court  ^'the  set" 
who  had  appropriated  the  place,  they  turned  up 
their  noses  at  him  and  condemned  him  to  an  absolute 
social  ostracism. 

One  day  I  overheard  the  following  conversation 
between  a  real  American  lady,  who  had  married  a 
foreigner  of  distinction,  and  a  ^'  young  blood"  not 
remarkable  for  his  intelligence  or  for  his  indepen- 
dence of  character  : 

"Well,  Mr.  X.,"  she  said,  "do  tell  me  what 
you  all  have  against  Mr.  P.,  for  he  seems  to  be  a 
gentleman,  and  to  have  as  much  money  as  the  rest 
of  you?" 

"Oh!  I  have  nothing  against  him  personally, 
but  they  do  say  some  rather  hard  things  about 
him." 

"  What  do  they  say  about  him  ?" 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  mixed  up  with  the  affair, 
and  don't  like  to  mention  what  they  charge  him 
with." 

"  Do  they  reflect  on  his  moral  character  ?" 

"No  ;  not  at  all." 

"  Do  they  question  his  intelligence  ?" 

"No." 

"  Do  they  doubt  his  integrity?" 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  15*7 

"  Do  they  say  that  he  is  poor?" 

'^No." 

"  Then  I  insist  upon  knowing  what  they  do  say 
to  his  discredit," 

''Well,  madam,  entre  nous,  and  in  the  strictest 
confidence — but  mind,  I  know  nothing  about  it  my- 
self—  they  say  that  he  actually  commenced  life  as  a 
shoemaker,  and  made  his  money  by  getting  a  run 
on  his  gaiters." 

"And  you  had  cut  him  on  that  account?" 

''Well,  yes  ;  I  was  obliged  to  do  it.  They  all 
cut  him  for  it,  and  I  had  to  do  the  same." 

'•  Now,  just  let  me  say  a  word  to  you,  Mr.  X., 
and  you  must  not  be  offended  :  I  knew  your  father 
when  he  kept  a  candy  shop  in  the  Bowery,  and  I 
knew  the  ancestors  of  every  one  in  your  '  set,'  and 
they  all  kept  shops  or  worked  for  a  living.  Now, 
we  are  a  nation  of  shop-keepers  and  working-men, 
and  for  Americans  to  come  abroad  and  put  on  such 
airs  as  you  and  your  friends  are  assuming  here  is 
simply  ridiculous.  Even  if  Mr.  P.  was  originally 
a  shoemaker,  and  has  accumulated  enough  money 
to  educate  himself,  and  nothing  can  be  said  against 
his  character  or  his  deportment,  those  who  '  throw 
stones'  at  him  ought  to  remember  what  their 
fathers  were  and  who  tJiey  are.  My  husband  shall 
call  on  him  to-morrow  and  invite  him  to  our  house, 
so  as  to  show  him  that  he  is  not  surrounded  entirely 
by  snobs  and  parvenus.  Such  conduct  as  you  and 
your  '  set'  have  been  guilty  of  makes  me  blush 
for  my  country,  while  it  excites  universal  disgust 
with  the  respectable  people  of  this  community." 

The  young  man,  though  not  a  Solomon,  was 
good-hearted  an  fond,  and  he  promptly  answered  : 

"You  put  it  strong,  Mrs.  Y.,  but  you  are  right. 
I  am   ashamed  of  the  part  I  have  taken   in  this 


158  A  doctor's  experiences 

matter,  and  I,  too,  shall  call  on  him  and  treat  him 
hereafter  as  a  gentleman.  Besides,  there  is  no 
proof  that  he  was  a  shoemaker,  and  he  certainl}^ 
dresses  as  well  as  the  hest  of  them.'' 

Both  parties  carried  out  their  intentions,  and  in 
a  few  days  there  was  a  complete  reaction  in  favor 
of  the  quondam  shoemaker,  and  nothing  further 
was  said  to  his-  discredit. 

I  had  made  the  acquaintance  on  ship-hoard  of 
a  young  American  woman  who  was  en  route  to 
France,  at  the  invitation  of  the  Emperor  to  intro- 
duce the  sewing-machine,  and  I  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  meet  her  and  her  friends  again  at  the  sta- 
tion and  to  travel  with  them  to  Paris.  I  was 
struck  with  her  intelligence  and  her  independence 
of  character,  and  I  bade  her  adieu,  fully  partici- 
pating in  her  bright  anticipations  of  the  future, 
but  never  expecting  to  see  her  again.  More  than 
twenty-five  years  afterward  I  returned  to  Paris, 
and  one  of  my  first  patients  was  the  wife  of  a  lead- 
ing American  dentist.  After  having  known  her 
for  several  years,  and  having  prescribed  for  her 
frequently,  I  was  struck  one  day  with  something 
in  the  tones  of  her  voice  which  set  me  thinking  of 
the  past. 

"Will  you  excuse  me,"  said  I,  "if  I  ask  you 
when  you  first  came  to  Paris?" 

"  Certainly.     It  was  in  the  winter  of  1854." 

"And  you  crossed  the  ocean  in  the  Pacific?" 

"Yes." 

"And  you  came  at  the  invitation  of  the  Emperor 
to  introduce  and  explain  the  sewing-machine?" 

"  Yes.     But  who  made  you  so  wise?" 

"  Do  you  remember  one  of  your  fellow-passen- 
gers— a  young  physician  who  was  coming  abroad 
to  study  his  profession,  and  who  took  a  great  lik- 
ing to  you?" 


IX    THREE    CONTINENTS.  159 

''  1  remember  him  perfectly,  though  I  have  for- 
gotten his  name.  He  was  certainly  very  polite, 
and  I  have  often  wondered  what  had  become  of 
him.     Do  you  know  him?" 

"  Yes,  madam,  I  have  known  him  intimately 
for  years.  His  name  is  Warren,  and  he  stands  be- 
fore you.     I  am  the  man.'' 

"Impossible!  Absolutely  impossible,  Doctor! 
You  are  only  joking." 

"But  why  impossible?" 

"  Simply  because — because — he  was  a  far  better 
looking  man  than  you  are,  if  you  will  excuse  me 
for  saying  so." 

"Ah,  madam,  he  had  the  advantage  of  me  by 
twenty-five  years,  and  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
never  known  then  a  real  care  or  sorrow  :  but,  nev- 
ertheless, he  and  I  are  one  and  the  same  man.,  I 
am  what  remains  of  the  young  doctor  who  crossed 
the  ocean  with  you." 

"  Then  I  am  doubly  your  friend — for  the  good 
you  have  done  me  professionally  and  for  old  ac- 
quaintance sake  as  well,"  she  said,  shaking  me 
warmly  by  the  hand  ;  and  I  can  add  that  I  have 
never  had  a  more  faithful  friend  in  Paris. 

When  I  questioned  her  about  the  sewing-ma- 
chine and  the  millions  that  she  supposed  to  be  in 
it,  she  told  me  substantially  the  same  story  which. 
T  have  heard  from  so  many  of  my  fellow-country- 
men, wdio  have  sought  to  realize  fortunes  by  intro- 
ducing American  inventions  into  France.  She 
was  well  received  ;  she  had  an  audience  witli  the 
Emperor,  and  she  worked  the  machine  to  his  en- 
tire satisfaction.  It  was  adoj)ted  by  the  govern- 
ment for  the  war  department ;  but  instead  of  giv- 
ing her  and  those  she  represented  an  order,  the 
French  authorities  went  quietly  to  work  and  re- 
produced  the  machine  from  her  model,  manufac- 


160  A  doctor's  experiexces 

tured  as  many  as  tliey  wanted,  and  left  her  ''  out 
in  the  cold,'"  with  but  the  scantiest  remuneration 
and  without  the  slightest  chance  of  redress.  She 
then  had  to  bestir  herself  to  keep  the  wolf  from 
the  door — she  had  to  paddle  her  own  canoe  or  to 
go  under,  which  she  did  not  propose  to  do  if  she 
knew  herself.  Many  women  would  have  gone  to 
the  devil,  but  she  w^ent  to  work,  and  by  the  force 
of  her  own  will  and  her  marriage  with  a  man  who 
though  not  rich  had  the  right  stuff  in  him,  she 
has  come  to  be  prosperous  and  is  in  a  fair  way  to 
make  a  fortune.  As  I  feel  a  personal  interest  in 
this  good  woman's  fight  witli  the  world  and  its 
fortunate  issue,  I  take  delight  in  chronicling  it 
here  as  an  illustration  of  what  American  pluck 
can  do  when  it  unfurls  its  flag  and  takes  the  field, 
whatever  may  be  the  odds  against  it  or  however 
adverse  the  circumstances  by  which  it  is  sur- 
rounded. 

Her  husband  has  a  history  as  well,  and  an  honor- 
able one.  Though  a  native  of  Ohio — the  mother  of 
lucky  men — he  was  residing  in  Mississippi  when 
the  war  broke  out,  and  the  "  conscription,"  which 
respected  neither  age,  nor  condition,  nor  antece- 
dents, put  him  in  the  army  and  sent  him  to  the 
front.  Out  of  respect  for  his  weight  and  proportions^ 
he  was  promoted  from  his  place  as  high  private  to 
the  position  of  chief  cook  of  the  regiment,  and  when 
Fort  Pillow  fell  he  was  carried  to  Elmira  and  im- 
prisoned in  the  stockades.  There  his  friends  found 
him  and  secured  his  liberation,  supposing  he  would 
hasten  to  take  up  arms  against  those  who  had 
made  him  a  soldier  malgre  lui  and  condemned  him 
to  boil  greens  in  the  kitchen  rather  than  reap 
laurels  in  the  trenches.  The  sequel  shows  that 
there  was  something  besides  adipose  in  that  capa- 
cious breast  of  his  ;  for,  remembering  the  kindness 


m    THREE   CONTINENTS .  161 

which  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  his  South- 
ern friends,  and  feeling   no  resentment   against  a 
law  which   though  harsh   in   its   operations  was  a 
necessity  in  itself,  he  resolved  to  remain  a  neutral 
in  the  fight.     Influenced  hy  these  feelings  he  came 
to  Paris,  weak  in  purse  hut  strong  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  his  art,  and  in  that  courage  which  awaits 
its  opportunity  and  then  goes  in  and  wins.      When 
the  Commune  raised  its  blood-stained  banner  and 
attempted  to   make   up  in  atrocity  that  which   it 
wanted  in  courage — appalling   mankind  and  dis- 
gracing humanity  and  outraging   heaven   by  the 
very  wantonness  of  its  crimes — he  w^as  residing  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Madeleine.     Finding  one 
day  a  poor  priest  in  danger  of  his  life  from  the  in- 
furiated rabble,  he  rescued  him  at  great  personal 
risk,  carried  him  to  his  apartment,  and   gave  him 
an  asylum   there   until  the  peril  had  passed  and 
order  was  restored.     Though  not  a  Catholic  in  re- 
ligion, for  this  act  of  mercy  and  heroism  the  Pope 
created    him    a    "  Chevalier   of  the   Order    of  8t. 
Gregory,"  the  King  of  Spain  made  him  a  "  Knight 
of  the  Order  of  Isabella  the  Catholic,"  the  French 
government  gave  him  the  "  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor,"  and  the  congregation  of  the  church  over- 
whelmed him  with  a  patronage  from  which  he  is 
reaping  a  golden  harvest.     From  this  you  will  see 
that  the  husband  of  my  old  friend  of  the  "  Pacific  " 
is  no  ordinary  man — that  he  is,  in  fact,  a  hero  and 
■a  humanitarian.     His  name  is  E.  B.  Loud,  and  he 
resides  on  the   Boulevard   Malesherbes,  where   he 
pursues  his  vocation  as  humbly  and  as  successfully 
as  if  his  life  was  passed  without  an  incident  or  an 
honor. 
11 


162  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  X. 

IX  PARIS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

On  my  arrival  at  Paris  I  put  up  at  the  Hotel  de 
Lille  et  d'Albion,  which  then  occupied  the  present 
site  of  the  Hotel  St.  James  in  the  Eue  St.  Honore, 
and  joined  my  friend  Dr.  Epps,  who  had  preceded 
me  by  a  day  or  two. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  agreeable  of  my  ex- 
periences was  a  dinner  given  by  Dr.  Epps  at  Pliil- 
lippes — then  noted  for  its  fish  specialties — for  it 
proved  at  once  the  source  of  new  sensations  and  of 
enduring  memories.  Since  then  I  have  been  en- 
abled to  appreciate  the  significance  of  the  exclama- 
tion which  couples  the  "  Gods  and  the  little  fishes," 
and  I  have  felt  assured  that  the  invocation  originated 
Avith  the  primal  ancestor  of  the  cook  who  conceived 
the  dainty  dishes  upon  which  we  regaled  ourselves 
on  that  memorable  occasion. 

In  those  times  the  Palais  Royale  was  the  center 
from  which  emanated  the  laws  of  gastronomy  for 
the  world.  Its  restaurants  and  cafes  surpassed  in 
the  splendor  of  their  appointments,  the  magnifi- 
cence of  their  cuisines  and  the  richness  of  their 
caves  all  that  epicurianism  had  previously  dreamed 
of.  Their  cliefs  were  known  and  their  menus  were 
sought  after  wherever  the  language  of  France  was 
spoken  and  as  far  as  her  renown  had  penetrated.  In 
truth,  the  French  people  having  been  diverted  from 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  163 

the  eternal  study  of  politics  by  the  strong  hand  of 
their  new  master,  had  abandoned  themselves  to  the 
gratitication  of  their  appetites,  and  transformed 
the  abodes  of  their  former  kings  into  temples  of 
gluttony,  wherein  sensuality  held  perpetual  carni- 
val, with  cooks  and  caterers  as  its  high  priests  and 
demigods. 

It  was,  indeed^  a  new  revelation  to  wander 
through  the  long  corridors,  so  rich  in  architectural 
treasures  and  historic  associations,  and  to  watch 
the  throngs  of  gourmands  as  they  hurried  to  the 
groaning  tables,  and  to  listen  to  the  perpetual  re- 
frain of  clinkino^  o:lasses  and  hilarious  lauo:hter 
and  hurrying  feet,  and  the  commingling  voices  of 
impatie;it  guests  and  obsequious  garcons,  which 
told  of  the  saturnalia  that  reigned  within. 

With  the  overthrow  of  the  empire  and  the  in- 
auguration of  the  special  political  era  which  has 
succeeded  it — for  from  the  humblest  chiffonier  to 
the  serenest  prince  every  Frenchman  is  now  devot- 
ing himself  to  public  affairs — epicurianism  has 
waned  and  the  glory  of  the  Palais  Royale  has  de- 
parted. 

This  reversion  of  the  popular  mind  to  politics — 
to  the  overthrow  of  cabinets,  the  making  of  presi- 
dents, and  the  establishment  of  dynasties,  together 
with  the  fact  that  fickle  fashion  has  turned  its  face 
up-townward,  has  left  that  quartier  almost  exclu- 
sively to  the  frequenters  of  second-class  brasseries^ 
dealers  in  imitation  jewelry,  keepers  of  tobacco 
shops  and  foreign  tourists,  who  with  red  guide  books 
and  dust-covered  garments  can  be  daily  found  there 
collecting  materials  for  their  diaries,  and  doing 
Paris  to  their  own  satisfaction  and  to  the  utter  dis- 
gust of  its  inhabitants. 

While  Les  Trois  Freres,  PMllippes,  Vefour's, 
etc.,    have   become   things   of    the   past,  Bignon, 


164  A  doctor's  experiences 

Voisin,  and  the  Cafe  Anglais  have  ''come  to  the 
front,"  and  though  less  frequented  than  their 
predecessors  in  public  favor,  they  are  likel}^  to  con- 
tinue la  mode  until  society  has  assumed  a  new 
phase  under  the  impetus  of  another  revolution. 

What  strange  creatures  are  the  French  !  They 
are  happy  only  when  they  have  found  a  new  ob- 
ject upon  which  to  lavish  their  caresses  or  to  ex- 
23end  their  malignity — something  to  crown  either 
with  laurels  or  with  thorns.  Their  element  is  ex- 
tremes, whether  it  he  in  the  worship  of  kings  or  of 
regricides — the  deification  of  their  consciences  or 
the  indulgence  of  their  jDassions — the  annihilation 
of  their  enemies  or  the  destruction  of  each  other. 
And  yet  where  would  art  and  science  and  civil- 
ization be  without  them  ?  What  people  have  ex- 
pended their  treasures  and  spent  their  blood  so 
lavishly  for  humanity?  What  page  in  history  is 
illustrated  with  nobler  sacrifices  and  more  glorious 
deeds  than  theirs?  1  must  confess  that  when  I 
contemplate  the  ''red  ribbon"  upon  my  breast, 
and  remember  that  it  represents  "the  Legion  of 
Honor  of  France,"  my  heart  beats  with  a  quicker 
impulse  and  a  prouder  thrill,  and  I  feel  that  it 
transcends  in  value  all  the  honors  which  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  combined  could  give. 

The  great  rivals  of  the  cafe^^  as  well  as  of  the 
domestic  circle  are  the  clubs  of  Paiis.  Since  the 
limitation  of  'pMic  gambling  to  the  principality  of 
Monaco,  private  play  has  assumed  enormous  pro- 
portions. Like  a  great  colossus  if  now  bestrides 
society,  while  religion  and  morality  lie  writhing 
beneath  its  feet.  The  propensity  to  seek  recreation 
or  occupation  in  gambling  seems  to  be  the  predomi- 
nating impulse  of  the  modern  Frenchman.  Feel- 
ing its  domination  and  appreciating  its  power,  he 
makes  no   attempt  at  resistance,  and   becomes   at 


IN   THREE   COXTIXENTS.  165 

once  its  slave  and  its  victim.  The  very  fact  of  the 
law's  intervention  gives  a  keener  relish  to  its  in- 
clalgence,  by  appealing  to  his  natural  inclination  to 
rebellion  and  to  his  inherent  love  of  excitement. 
Cupidity  also  plays  an  important  role  in  stimulat- 
ing this  vicious  appetite,  for  a  passion  for  dis- 
play and  a  devotion  to  pleasure  cannot  be  indulged 
in  without  money,  and  the  gaming  table  offers, 
consequently,  a  special  and  perpetual  temptation 
to  the  gentlemen  of  this  country. 

With  strange  inconsistency,  public  gambling  is 
made  a  crime  while  private  gambling  is  encouraged 
by  the  licensing  of  circles,  which  are  notoriously 
organized  for  its  indulgence.  While  chiefly  used 
for  this  purpose  they  possess,  nevertheless,  all  the 
appurtenances  of  veritable  clubs,  and  they  seek  to 
rival  each  other  in  the  excellence  of  their  caves 
and  the  magnificence  of  their  cuisines  as  a  means 
of  attracting  membership  and  of  securing  the  at- 
tendance of  those  whose  names  are  already  ui)on 
their  rolls.  It  is  t1ius  that  they  have  become,  the 
successful  rivals  of  the  cofes  as  well  as  the  de- 
stroyers of  the  home  life  of  the  Parisians. 

From  what  I  have  seen  of  the  effect  of  the  legal 
restrictions  imposed  upon  public  gambling,  I  am 
convinced  that  it  would  be  far  wiser  either  to  pro- 
hibit play  entirely  or  to  license  maisons  cle  jeu^ 
placing  them  under  strict  police  surveillance. 

When  certain  myopio  philanthropists  have  suc- 
ceeded in  their  crusade  against  Monaco — which  is 
the  "last  lone  asylum  "  of  gambling  in  Europe — 
so  far  from  stamping  out  this  vice,  as  they  exfject 
to  do,  they  will  find  that  they  have  only  stimulated 
and  increased  it ;  that  while  damming  the  stream 
and  closing  its  outlet,  they  have  only  caused  it  to 
overflow  its  banks  and  to  cover  a  wider  area.  The 
scenes  which  now  disgrace  Monte   Carlo  will  then 


166  A  doctor's  experiences 

be  repeated  in  every  capital  of  Europe  and  es- 
pecially in  Paris,  with  an  increased  frequency  and 
an  exaggeration  of  incident. 

I  am  no  advocate  of  gambling  or  apologist  for 
the  gambler — on  the  contrary,  I  abhor  the  one  and 
despise  the  other — but  I  am  convinced  that  there 
are  certain  weaknesses  or  vices  of  human  nature 
wdiich  must  have  their  ''  run  "  in  spite  of  every 
effort  to  prevent  them,  and  that  it  is  wiser  to  direct 
and  regulate  them  than  to  attempt  the  useless  task 
of  proscribing  them  by  an  appeal  to  legal  enact- 
ments. How  many  drunkards  have  been  reformed 
by  the  Maine  liquor  law  ?  To  wdiat  extent  has  the 
cause  of  temperance  been  promoted  by  prohibitory 
enactments  ? 

By  the  kind  assistance  of  Dr.  Epps,  I  was  soon 
installed  at  No.  10,  Rue  de  Buci,  in  the  famous 
Latin  Quartier,  and  I  went  diligently  to  work  visit- 
ing the  hospitals  and  attending  the  lectures  of  such 
of  the  professors  as  had  most  reputation  at  the 
time.  Of  the  hospitals  I  w^as  most  attracted  by 
the  Hoiel  Dieu,  La  Chariie,  Le  Midi,  and  La  Pitie^ 
for  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  in  their  wai'ds 
Trousseau,  Velpean,  Piorry,  Robin,  Nelaton,  Jo- 
bert  cle  Lambell,  Ricord,  Maissonneuve,  Andral 
and  Dubois — men  who  have  never  been  surpassed 
in  learning,  skill  and  the  power  of  impressing  the 
minds  of  those  who  listened  to  their  instruction. 
I  regarded  it  as  a  special  blessing  and  privilege 
thus  to  see  and  hear  these  great  men  ;  and  I 
labored  faithfully  to  take  in  and  store  up  the  in- 
lormation  which  they  sought  to  impart  to  their  ad- 
miring students.  Many  a  time  in  after  life^  alike 
amid  the  swamps  of  Carolina,  the  battle-fields  of 
Virginia,  the  sands  of  Egypt,  and  the  quartiers  of 
Paris — in  the  hour  of  supreme  anxiety  and  re- 
sponsibility— I  have  had  occasion  to   avail  myself 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  167 

of  the  knowledge  wliicli  they  imparted  and  have 
paid  them  the   tribute  of  my  warmest  gratitude. 

With  a  single  exception  all  of  them  have  paid 
the  debt  of  nature,  and  their  places  have  been 
filled  and  the  busy  world  has  forgotten  them  ;  but 
they  still  live  in  the  memory  of  those  who  listened 
to  their  words  of  wisdom  and  eloquence  as  well  as 
upon  the  proudest  pages  in  the  history  of  medicine. 

The  only  survivor,  of  this  splendid  galaxy  of 
great  men  is  the  venerable  Ricord,  who  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years  still  pursues  his  pro- 
fession with  a  zeal  and  an  energy  unsurpassed  by 
the  youngest  of  his  brethern.  Nor  is  he  only  an 
accomplished  specialist,  such  as  the  professional 
world  has  long  regarded  him.  He  is  emphatically 
a  great  physician  in  all  regards,  and  as  a  general 
consultant  he  has  few  equals  and  no  superiors,  I 
have  repeatedly  called  on  him  in  difficult  cases  of 
every  variety,  and  I  have  been  invariably  impressed 
by  his  consummate  skill  as  a  diagnostician,  his 
profound  knowledge  of  medicine,  and  the  richness 
and  variety  of  his  store  of  remedial  agents,  together 
with  his  great  urbanity  and  goodness  of  heart. 

He  is,  as  you  know,  a  Marylander  by  birth,  and 
his  attachment  to  his  native  country  and  his  devo- 
tion to  his  compatriots  have  always  been  extreme. 
I  must  confess  that  when  I  have  seen  him  on 
public  occasions — his  breast  covered  with  the  dec- 
orations which  he  has  received  for  professional 
triumphs  and  his  devotion  to  humanity,  and  the 
object  of  universal  interest  and  respect — I  have  felt 
proud  to  recognize  him  as  an  American,  and  more 
in  love  than  ever  with  my  native  land. 

I  once  asked  him,  "How  it  was  that  he  had 
managed  to  survive  so  many  of  his  contemporaries, 
and  to  preserve  so  marvelously  his  health  and 
faculties?''     He  smiled,  and  answered:     "By  re- 


168  A  doctor's  experiences 

sol  vino;  not  to  permit  myself  to  become  fatigued — 
by  taking  two  days  of  holiday  out  of  every  week 
and  spending  at  my  country  seat  in  the  fresh  air, 
removed  from  work  and  responsibility."  He  takes 
no  single  vacation  as  many  of  our  physicians  do  in 
order  to  recuperate  their  wasted  energies,  but  he 
precludes  the  possibility  of  his  becoming  fatigued 
and  prostrated  by  separating  himself  from  the 
cares  and  responsibilities  of  business,  in  the  manner 
that  he  explained  to  me.  The  result  demonstrates 
the  wisdom  of  his  plan  of  prevention,  for  though 
an  octogenarian,  he  is  as  actively  engaged  in  pro- 
fessional work,  and  with  a  mind  as  vigorous  and  a 
zeal  as   fervid   as  when  I  knew  him  thirty  years 


ago. 


He  is,  indeed,  a  great  and  glorious  old  man,  an 
honor  alike  to  the  country  of  his  nativity  and  of 
his  adoption,  a  shining  light  in  the  profession  of 
his  choice,  and  an  ornament  to  society,  which  he 
still  affects,  and  from  which  he  receives  an  exhaust- 
less  tribute  of  reverence  and  admiration. 

It  is  true  that  the  theories  with  which  he  once 
astonished  the  world  and  made  himself  famous  have 
been  left  amid  the  debris  which  the  stream  of  time 
has  collected  upon  its  shores,  but  it  is  equally 
certain  that  he  made  great  advances  in  his  specialty, 
and  that  his  labors  and  researches  opened  the  way 
to  the  attainment  of  a  far  more  correct  and  certain 
knowledge  of  its  essential  nature  and  clinical 
history  than  would  have  been  possible  without 
them.  If  his  doctrines  did  not  embody  the  absolute 
truth,  they  were  most  closely  related  to  it — they 
were  what  the  "outer-reef'  is  to  the  "mainland/' 
a  proof  of  its  proximity  and  a  guide  to  its  shores. 
At  any  rate,  the  name  of  Ricord  has  gone  around 
the  world,  and  will  live  while  JGsculapius  has  a 
temple  or  science  a  worshiper  upon  the  earth. 


IN   TIIEEE   CONTINENTS.  169 

I  frequented  the  hospital  of  La  Charife,  as  I  have 
already  mentioned,  for  I  had  there  an  opportunity 
of  witnessing  the  operations  of  Yelpeau  and  of  hear- 
ing the  clinical  lectures  of  Piorry,  as  well  as  of  re- 
ceiving private  instruction  in  auscultation  and  per- 
cussion from  an  interne  who  has  since  played  a  con- 
S23icuous  part  in  medicine,  and  of  whom  I  shall 
speak  more  particularly  hereafter. 

We  are  all  prone  to  form  ideals  of  those  whose 
books  we  read  and  of  whom  we  hear  much,  and  I 
naturally  expected  to  find  in  Yelpeau  a  man  cast  in 
the  heroic  mold.  You  can  therefore  understand  my 
disappointment  when  I  saw  him  enter  the  arena  at 
La  Charife,  and  found  him  a  bent,  wizen-faced, 
watery-eyed,  desiccated,  diminutive  old  man,  with 
so  indistinct  an  intonation  and  so  rapid  an  enun- 
ciation as  to  render  it  difficult  to  understand  a 
word  he  said.  I  was  about  to  give  expression  to 
my  disappointment  in  a  hasty  retreat  when  he  took  a 
knife  in  his  hand,  and  I  determined  to  wait  and  wit- 
ness the  operation  which  he  proposed  to  perform.  In 
an  instant  a  complete  change  came  over  the  man. 
The  touch  of  the  instrument  seemed  to  send  an 
electric  shock  through  his  entire  frame,  unsealing 
the  fountains  of  vitality  and  transforming  him  into 
a  new  being.  The  stoop  disappeared  from  his 
shoulders  and  he  stood  as  erect  and  stately  as  a 
soldier  on  duty ;  his  lack-luster  eyes  regained  their 
normal  brilliancy  and  gleamed  like  those  of  an 
eagle;  his  wrinkled  countenance  expanded  under 
the  stimulus  of  a  more  rapid  blood  current,  and 
assumed  the  hue  and  aspect  of  vigorous  manhood  ; 
and  he  looked  in  all  respects  the  hero  and  the 
surgeon  that  he  was,  and  that  the  world  recognized 
him  to  be. 

From  that  time  forward  I  never  missed  one  of 
his  clinics,  for  I  felt  always  that  I  was  in  the  pres- 


170  A  doctor's  EXPERIEIs^CES 

ence    of   a  master — of  one  whose  genius  threw  a 
spell  of  fascination  over  all  that  he  said  and  did. 

Piorry  was  not  simply  an  enthusiast  on  the  sub- 
ject of  physical  diagnosis,  but  a  monomaniac.  He 
seemed  to  think  that  the  whole  art  of  physic  con- 
sisted in  ascertaining  the  nature  and  the  extent  of 
lesions,  and  then  in  verifying  the  diagnoses  by  a 
post  mortem  examination.  With  the  cure  of  disease 
he  did  not  concern  himself,  leaving  the  result  to 
nature  alone.  The  domain  of  therapeutics  was  to 
him  a  terra  incognita^  into  which  he  never  entered 
save  with  halting  steps  and  the  air  of  an  alien  and 
an  intruder. 

I  have  repeatedly  seen  him  trace  upon  the  sur- 
face the  exact  seat  and  the  o;radual  extension  of  the 
malady,  and  then  patiently  await  the  conclusion, 
in  orde4^  to  demonstrate  the  correctness  of  his  ori- 
ginal diagram.  Strange  to  relate,  the  patients 
soon  accustomed  themselves  to  this  mapping-out 
process,  and  took  as  lively  an  interest  in  the  extend- 
ing lines  as  if  they  were  to  participate  in  their  ul- 
timate verification,  and  in  the  applause  which  was 
i.0  greet  the  professor's  final  triumph  as  a  diagnos- 
tician and  a  limner.  This  system  of  ante-mortera 
delineation  and  post-mortem  verification  of  pen-and- 
ink  sketches  upon  the  integuments  of  the  living 
and  scalpel  demonstrations  upon  the  organs  of  the 
dead  always  seemed  to  me  the  ne  plus  ultra  of 
scientific  infatuation,  to  say  nothing  of  its  cold- 
blooded cruelty.  It  was  surely  a  peculiar  way  of 
combatting  disease  and  of  teaching  the  healing  art, 
and  despite  his  zeal  and  learning,  I  looked  upon 
Piorry  as  a  hybrid,  to  which  the  charlatan  and  the 
doctor  had  furnished  an  equal  proportion  of  com- 
ponent elements.  This  idea  perhaps  does  injustice 
to  his  character  and  acquirements,  as  he  was  greatly 
esteemed  by  his  contemporaries,  and  as  his  funeral, 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  171 

which  took  place  only  a  year  or  two  since,  was  at- 
tended by  the  leading  medical  men  of  Paris,  all  of 
whom  testified  to  his  worth  as  a  man  and  to  his 
merits  as  a  physician. 

I  accidentally  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  of 
his  internes^  a  young  man  whose  serious  mien  and 
accurate  knowled2;e  of  the  English  language  at- 
ti acted  me  from  our  first  meeting.  Finding  him 
unusually  well  informed  and  willing  to  teach,  I 
engaged  him  to  give  me  private  instructions  in 
physical  diagnoses,  and  induced  several  compatriots 
to  join  the  class.  This  relation  ripened  into  a  warm 
friendship,  and  the  more  intimately  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  the  greater  grew  my  respect  for 
his  character  and  my  admiration  of  his  genius. 
After  a  pleasant  intercourse  we  parted  in  1855 — 1 
to  return  to  the  swamps  of  North  Carolina,  and  he 
to  remain  in  Paris — the  best  of  friends  and  with 
reciprocal  good  wishes,  but  without  a  thought  that 
our  paths  would  meet  again.  Twenty-five  years 
afterward  I  was  standing  on  the  Boulevard  des 
Capucines,  when  a  friend  said  to  me  :  "Look,  there 
goes  the  great  doctor  of  Paris  in  that  carriage  with 
the  two  fine  horses."  1  looked  in  the  direction  in- 
dicated, and,  to  my  astonishment  and  delight, 
recognized  my  former  preceptor  and  old  friend,  Dr. 
Charcot.  I  had  often  heard  of  Charcot  in  the 
years  which  intervened  between  '55  and  '75,  and  I 
had  read  with  delight  the  works  which  had  ema- 
nated from  his  prolific  pen,  but  it  had  never  entered 
my  head  that  the  humble  interne  of  La  Charite  was 
the  great  professor  whose  fame  had  compassed  the 


globe. 


I  immediately  addressed  a  note  to  him,  and  with- 
out alluding  to  our  past  relations  asked  if  he  re- 
membered me.  He  replied  at  once  that  he  remem- 
bered me  well,  and  would  be  glad  to  have  me  call 


172  A   DOCTOR  .5   EXPBRIEN-CES 

upon  him  at  the  earliest  convenient  moment.  I 
went  to  his  house  on  the  succeeding  day_,  and  was 
received  as  a  friend  and  brother — with  a  warmth 
and  kindliness  which  I  can  never  forget.  After 
giving  a  rapid  sketch  of  his  career,  which  had  only 
been  a  succession  of  triumphs  where  competition  was 
most  active  and  jealousy  not  the  less  vindictive,  and 
hearing  what  I  had  to  say  about  myself,  he  said  to 
rne  : 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ;  any  way 
in  which  I  can  conduce  to  your  welfare  or  advance 
your  interests  ?" 

'^  Yes,  doctor  ;  you  have  it  in  your  power  to  do 
me  a  great  service — one  for  which  I  shall  be  eter- 
nally grateful." 

•'  Name  it,  and  count  me  at  your  service." 

"Well,  it  is  simply  this:  I  cannot  return  to 
Egypt  because  Dr.  Landolt  tells  me  that  another 
attack  of  ophthalmia  will  result  in  the  loss  of  my 
left  eye.  I  desire,  therefore,  to  remain  in  Paris, 
and  to  practice  medicine,  which  I  cannot  do  with- 
out a  legal  authorization.  Will  you  use  your  in- 
fluence to  obtain  this  concession  for  me?" 

"What  you  ask  is  difficult  to  obtain.  The 
faculty  has  taken  position  against  these  '  minis- 
terial authorizations,'  and  I  am  one  of  those  who 
have  most  persistently  opposed  them.  How  then 
can  I  recommend  you  in  the  very  teeth  of  my  known' 
opposition  to  such  recommendations  ?  I  wish  sin-, 
cerely  to  serve  you,  but  I  really  do  not  see  my  way- 
clear  in  the  matter."  ,| 

"I  will  leave  it  to  you,  but  I  most  earnestly  en-| 
treat  you  to  do  it  if  you  can.     Excuse  my  impor-| 
tunity.     I  lias^e  so  much  at  stake  that  I  am  forced; 
to  be  persistent." 

"  My  dear  friend,  I  will  do  my  best,  and  if  I  fail 
attribute  the  failure  to  anything  else  than  a  sincere 


CHARCOT. 


I 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  173 


desire  to  serve  you.  Have  you  forwarded  your  ap- 
plication ?" 

''  Yes  ;  on  yesterday." 

'•J  will  go  then  at  once  and  look  into  the  mat- 
ter.    You  will  hear  from  me  after  a  few  days." 

"  Thanks  !  I  will  trust  implicitly  to  your  friend- 
ship, and  I  shall  be  equally  grateful  whether  you 
succeed  or  not.  Now^  adieu,  for  I  have  already 
trespassed  too  long." 

I  will  only  add  that  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
weeks  I  did  receive  the  authorization,  and  I  have 
reason  to  know  that  it  was  obtained  mainly  through 
the  influence  of  Charcot.  I  have  also  to  thank  Dr. 
Ricord  for  a  kind  letter  of  recommendation  in  this 
regard,  v/hich^  doubtless,  had  its   weight  as   well. 

Thus  was  it  demonstrated  that  neither  the  gift 
of  exalted  genius  nor  the  possession  of  the  highest 
distinctions  nor  the  command  of  unlimited  wealth 
nor  aught  else  that  is  calculated  to  intoxicate  or 
pervert  human  nature  could  warp  the  soul  of  this 
great  and  good  man  when  friendship  made  its  ap- 
peal, and  that  a  spirit  of  genuine  loyalty  still  ex- 
ists among  men.  I  can  never  live  long  enough  to 
show  the  full  extent  of  my  appreciation  of  his  act 
of  kindness,  not  alone  on  account  of  the  friendly 
sentiments  which  it  manifested,  but  because  the 
favor  came  at  the  most  critical  moment  in  my  life's 
history. 

With  Charcot's  professional  labors  and  triumphs 
the  world  is  familiar,  and  I  relate  this  incident  to 
show  that  not  less  as  a  gentleman  than  as  a  scien- 
tist he  stands  pre-eminent — primus  inter  pares. 

I  was  greatly  pleased  with  Nelaton,  the  surgeon 
of  the  Ecole  Practique,  who  was  then  in  the  prime 
of  manhood  and  the  flood  tide  of  professional  suc- 
cess. Though  not  specially  attracting  by  his  en- 
thusiasm and  brilliancy,  he  had  a  certain  composed 
and  self-confident  manner  about  him  which  greatly 


174  A  doctor's  experiences  ' 

impressed  his  auditors  and  drew  large  crowds  tc 
his  lectures  and  clinics.  He  possessed  a  stately  and 
commanding  person  ;  a  large  and  well-develo])ed 
head;  an  oval  face, w^ithfinely-cutfeatures^andkindly 
eyes  of  bluish  gray  ;  a  graceful  carriage  and  a 
pleasing  address;  a  remarkably  fluent  delivery, 
a  hand  of  unfaltering  steadiness  and  an  exquisite 
delicacy  of  touch. 

Alike  from  his  plain,  practical,  and  perspicuous 
lectures,  and  from  his  well-planned  and  admirably- 
executed  operations,  I  derived  much  benefit,  and  I 
have  always  remembered  my  former  master  with 
feelings  of  commingled  pleasure  and  gratitude.  If 
he  had  done  nothing  more  than  invent  the  catheter 
which  bears  his  name,  and  discovered  the  process 
for  inverting  the  body  in  chloroform  narcosis,  he 
would  have  well  merited  the  applause  of  contem- 
poraries and  the  homage  of  posterity. 

Trousseau  w^as  then  at  the  zenith  of  his  fame 
and  popularity.  He  was  certainly  the  ablest  diag- 
nostician I  ever  knew,  and  his  power  of  analysis 
was  not  surpassed  in  his  generation.  With  this 
gift  of  eloquence  he  could  render  any  subject  at- 
tractive, and  I  followed  him  with  ever-increasing 
admiration  and  enthusiasm. 

I  was  particularly  struck  with  his  politeness  and 
tenderness  toward  his  patients.  He  never  forgot 
that  they  w^ere  human  beings^  and  that  his  obliga- 
tion wasjirst  to  them  ;  that  his  special  mission  was 
the  relief  of  their  sufferings  and  the  cure  of  their 
diseases.  France  has  j)roduced  few  such  physi- 
cians and  teachers,  and  modern  medicine  must  ac- 
knowledge its  indebtedness  to  him  for  its  most 
complete  and  philosophic  work  on  therapeutics. 
He  died  shortly  after  I  left  Paris,  and  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age,  to  the  infinite  regret,  not 
alone  of  those  who  were  connected  with  him  by 
personal  relations,  but  of  the  disciples  of  science 


IN   THREE   CONTIXENTS.  175 

throughout  the  world.     He  was  truly  a  , great  phy- 
sician and  a  thorough  gentleman. 

Jobert  de  Larabelle  was  also  flourishing  at  the 
Hotel  Dieu,  and  it"  there  ever  was  a  madman  in  the 
ranks  cf  the  profession,  it  was  he.  He  was  a  sur- 
geon of  skill  and  dash,  and  his  special  infatuation 
was  the  cauterization  of  wombs.  He  believed  that 
all  the  ills  which  feminine  flesh  is  heir  to  origi- 
nated either  in  an  ulcerated  or  a  cancerous  condi- 
tion of  the  uterus,  and  he  kept  a  supply  of  iron 
cauteries  with  which,  through  an  ivory  or  horn 
speculum,  he  seared  the  cervix  of  every  woman 
who  entered  his  wards.  Twice  each  week  he  held 
his  grand  clinics  in  the  amphitheater,  at  which  he 
did  this  operation  on  so  large  a  scale  that  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  room  was  rendered  insufferable  by 
the  fumes  and  smoke  of  cauterized  uterine  tissues, 
while  on  every  morning  he  subjected  some  "  poor 
unfortunate"  to  the  same  fiery  ordeal  We  called 
his  clinics  the  "  barbecues"  and  his  daily  cauteriza- 
tions the  '  ^  smsM  irj ,"  while  the  surgeon  himself 
was  designated  by  the  suggestive  names  of  "  Ze 
Che/;'  •''  Old  G-riddle,"  and  ''  Dr.  Beelzebub  ■/'  for 
students  the  world  over  will  have  their  fun,  and 
their  caustic  wit  is  no  respecter  of  persons  or  of 
circumstances.  This  was  my  first  experience  with 
gynoecologists,  and  it  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  prejudice 
against  their  specialty  which  time  has  only  served 
to  deepen  and  to  intensify.  One  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished physicians  of  New  York — a  leading 
professor,  and  a  late  president  of  the  American 
Medical  Association — recently  remarked  to  me  that 
he  believed  "the  race  would  be  better  off  had 
gynoecology  never  been  invented,"  meaning  that 
the  injury  which  bunglers,  enthusiasts,  and  char- 
latans have  done  in  this  connection  greatly  out- 
weighs the  good  which  others  have  accomplished, 
and  I  am  disposed  to  agree  with  him. 


176  A  doctor's  experiences  : 

Do  not  understand  me  as  saying  that  there  are 
not  cases  of  uterine  disease  which  require  appro- 
priate local  treatment,  or  that  all  who  devote  them- 
selves to  this  branch  of  medicine  are  corrupt  or  in- 
competent.    I  believe  that  the  comfort  of  many  a 
woman  has  been  promoted  by  the  means  thus  in- 
voked, and  that  there  are  men  in  the  ranks  of  this 
specialty  who  honor  their  profession  by  their  skill , 
and  their  integrity.     I  would  only  enter  my  pro- j 
test  against  that  incessant  and  insatiable   search  \ 
for  uterine  maladies — that  persistent  and  uncom- 
promising crusade  against  the  uterus — which  gives 
nature  scarcely  time   for    the    performance   of  its 
functions,  and  makes  women  nurses  of  wombs  in-  ^ 
stead  of  mothers  of  children.     I  simply  take  the 
position   that   if  this   abuse  of  gynoecology  is  in- 
separably associated  with  the  practice  of  it,  com- 
mon sense  commingles  its  voice  with  that  of  com- 
mon humanity  in  regretting  its  discovery  and  de- 
manding its  limitation. 

It  is  impossible  to  deny  the  fact  that  this 
specialty  opens  the  door  wider  to  fraud  and  char- 
latanism than  any  other.  Only  one  eye  looks 
through  the  speculum  to  decide  the  question  of 
treatment,  and  to  determine  its  results.  The 
gynoecologist  is  in  the  very  nature  of  things  above 
criticism,  beyond  censure,  and  the  absolute  master 
of  the  situation — directed  by  nothing  save  his  in- 
dividual judgment,  and  restrained  only  by  his  in- 
herent sense  of  right.  The  temptation,  therefore, 
to  do  that  out  of  which  reputation  can  be  made 
and  money  coined  is  great — greater  than  in  any 
other  field  connected  with  the  profession — and  it 
requires  a  level  head  and  a  loyal  heart,  indeed,  to 
keep  the  gynoecologist  always  in  the  path  of  recti- 
tude. Besides,  say  what  you  may,  it  does  break 
clown  the  barriers  which  nature  has  erected  between- 
the  two  sex\es,  and  is  ijyso  facto  demoralizing  both 


-m 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  177 

to  the  doctor  and  to  the  patient  ;  and  if  there  he 
any  place  for  the  female  physician,  it  surely  is 
within  the  domain  of  this  especial  hranch  of  the 
healing  art.  These  may  he  heterodox  views,  hut 
they  are  nevertheless  honest  ones. 

But  to  return  to  Johert.  He  was  a  curiosity  in 
)very  respect ;  he  believed  that  he  was  the  greatest 
)f  living  surgeons,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say 
}o  on  all  occasions. 

He  never  appeared  before  his  class  without  hav- 
ing his  hair  elaborately  dressed,  curled  and  per- 
fumed ;  while  he  arrayed  his  person  in  gorgeous 
Lpparel,  covered  his  fingers  with  the  choicest  rings, 
Lud  wore  in  his  scarf  a  diamond  of  great  value  ; 
md,  yet,  with  all  these  peculiarities,  he  lectured 
^ell  and  operated  magnificently.  Of  the  number 
)f  cervical  canals  which  were  occluded  by  his  in- 
jti'umentality  I  am  unable  to  form  a  proper  esti- 
nate,  but  I  am  convinced  that  there  were  enough 
)f  them  to  seriously  interfere  with  the  population 
)f  Paris.     Those  hot  irons  of  his  cost  France  many 

good  soldier. 

An  old  friend,  Mr.  J.  Little  Smith,  of  Mobile, 
Lla. — a  scholar  and  a  gentleman — with  his  young 
md  charming  wife,  then  resided  in  Paris,  and  their 
louse  was  the  home  of  a  never-failing  hospitality. 
Many  a  pleasant  hour  did  I  spend  with  them  in 
the  Rue  Florentin,  listening  to  the  madam's  superb 
'■oice,  or  "  tripping  the  light  fantastic  "  with  fair 
jountry  women  or  enjoying  their  sumptuous 
'  spreads  "  or  talking  about  old  times  and  mutual 
Friends  in  Carolina.     They  were  to  have  a  ball  on 

certain  occasion,  and  I  had  promised  to  attend, 
[ndeed,  I  was  looking  forward  to  the  entertain- 
lent  with  great  pleasure,  the  more  so  as  I  had  en- 
gaged to  dance  the  first  quadrille  with  a  beautiful 
firl  from  the  South.  The  evening  arrived,  and  I 
12 


178  A  doctor's  experiences 

hailed  it  with  delight.  Having  visited  the  harber^ 
and  had  him  exhaust  his  skill  upon  me,  I  returned 
home  and  commenced  my  toilet,  filled  with  pleas- 
urable anticipations  and  resolved  upon  looking  my 
best.  When  about  half  dressed  I  pulled  out  the 
drawers  in  which  my  "  Sunday  clothes  "  had  been 
carefully  put  away — found  it  empty.  Further  in- 
vestigations showed  that  my  entire  wardrobe  had 
been  appropriated  by  some  adroit  thief,  who  had 
entered  the  room  during  my  absence  and  had 
"  swept  the  platter  clean."  You  can  imagine  my 
disgust  and  indignation,  for,  independent  of  the 
disappointment  of  the  evening,  the  pecuniary  loss 
was  considerable,  and  my  expected  remittance  had 
not  been  calculated  upon  the  basis  of  such  an  ex- 
penditure as  this  robbery  entailed.  Nothing  re- 
mained but  to  dispatch  a  hurried  note  explaining 
my  absence  to  my  friends,  and  to  send  for  the  police 
and  ask  their  aid  in  the  apprehension  of  the  thief. 

Mr.  Smith,  with  characteristic  kindness,  called 
early  the  next  day  to  ofi'er  his  sympathy  and  assist- 
ance, but  the  authorities  did  nothing  save  shrug^ 
their  shoulders  and  take  an  inventory  of  the  lost 
property— which  surprised  me  greatly,  as  I  had 
always  heard  that  the  police  of  Paris  was  the  best 
in  the  world.  I  never  recovered  anything,  though 
I  felt  sure  of  my  ability  to  place  my  hand  upon 
the  thief  at  any  time,  as  he  was  a  member  of  the 
household. 

This  w^as  the  beginning  of  my  knowledire  of  the 
indifference — to  use  no  stronger  term — with  which 
the  French  people  regard  all  foreigners,  and  es- 
pecially those  who  speak  the  English  language. 

In  connection  with  great  crimes  and  political 
offenses  the  authorities  frequently  display  much 
energy  and  sagacity,  but  they  trouble  themselves 
very  little  when  aliens  demand  their  assistance  or 
protection. 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  179 


LETTER    XL 

RETUKX  TO  EDEXTON. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Shortly  after  the  incident  related  in  my  last  let- 
ter, an  American,  with  whom  I  had  been  acquainted 
for  several  years,  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to 
Italy,  proposing  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses 
of  the  trip,  As  his  health  was  poor  and  he  really 
required  professional  attention,  I  accepted  his  ofPer, 
though  I  soon  had  occasion  to  regret  having  done 
so,  as  he  was  both  ill-natured  and  parsimonious,  and 
we  soon  parted  company  by  mutual  consent.  Some 
months  afterward,  when  he  was  arranging  his  af- 
fairs preliminary  to  a  final  departure,  he  addressed 
me  a  letter,  claiming  that  I  owed  him  more  tlian 
a  hundred  dollars,  the  amount  which  he  had  ex- 
pended for  my  traveling  expenses.  This  meanness 
was,  nevertheless,  surpassed  by  that  of  two  Ameri- 
can women,  mother  and  daughter,  with  whom  I 
was  thrown  during  my  residence  in  Paris.  As  the 
health  of  the  younger  was  poor  I  was  constantly 
appealed  to  for  professional  advice,  and  as  I  refused 
compensation  they  invited  me  several  times  to  dine 
with  them.  You  can  judge  of  my  astonishment 
when  I  received  a  bill  from  their  boarding-house 
keeper  for  the  dinners  which  I  had  taken  as  their 
guest.  On  inquiry  I  found  that  he  had  charged 
these  extra  meals  to  them,  but,  at  their  suggestion, 
had  withdrawn  the  items  from  their  bill,  and  had 
held  me  responsible.     Of  course,  I  paid  the  sum 


180  A  doctor's  experiences 

demanded^  but  it  is  the  conviction  of  a  lifetime 
that  for  consummate  meanness  and  unblushing 
impudence  this  travesty  upon  the  laws  of  hospital- 
ity excelled  anything  that  I  have  ever  known  or 
heard  of. 

I  will  not  go  into  the  details  of  this  trip  to  Italy, 
although  there  was  born  of  it  a  love  scrape — which 
was  characterized  by  many  moving  incidents  and  a 
strange  conclusion — as  the  ground,  traveled  over  is 
familiar  to  nearly  every  one,  and  as  I  should  have 
to  "stir  up  the  ashes  of  the  past"  in  a  way  which 
would  be  agreeable  neither  to  myself  nor  to  my 
sweet-heart,  although  she  is  a  grandmother. 

1  returned  home  on  the  steamer  "  North  Star," 
the  once  famous  Vanderbilt  yacht,  sailing  from 
Havre  early  in  May,  and  making  the  passage  in 
about  ten  days. 

The  voyage  was  tempestuous,  but  without  inci- 
dent, and  my  fellow  passengers  generall}^  ira- 
pi-essed  me  so  little  that  I  have  forgotten  the  names 
of  all  save  two  of  them — Dr.  Samuel  Green,  of 
Boston,  and  Miss  Stevens,  of  Hoboken. 

Dr.  Green  had  been  studying  medicine  abroad, 
and  having  frequently  met  in  our  tours  of  the  hos- 
pitals we  soon  became  fast  friends  on  ship-board. 
Related  to  the  Lawrences,  a  thorough  gentleman, 
and  an  accomplished  physician,  he  immediately 
took  a  commanding  position  in  his  native  State, 
and  has  maintained  it  up  to  the  present  moment. 
A  few  years  since  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Boston, 
almost  by  acclamation,  and  he  still  holds  an  im- 
portant trust  connected  with  its  public  charities. 
He  has  always  enjo3^ed  the  reputation  of  being  an 
unusually  upright  and  loyal  man.  During  the  war 
he  held  a  surgeon's  commission  in  the  United  States 
Army,  and  was  stationed  in  the  eastern  section  of 
North  Carolina,  where,  though  we  never  met,  we 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  181 

were  frequently  in  close  propinquity,  and  were 
constantly  able  to  exchange  messages  of  good  will 
and  kind  remembrance. 

I  take  this  occasion  to  say  that  the  rancor  en- 
gendered by  the  contest  did  not  find  its  way  into 
the  hearts  of  the  medical  men  engaged  in  it.  They 
never  permitted  themselves  to  discriminate  between 
the  ^'gray"  and  the  ''blue"  when  blood  was  flow- 
ing and  human  life  was  at  stake,  but  to  all  alike — 
to  friend  and  foe  equally — they  ministered  to  the 
extent  of  their  ability,  and  with  the  same  measure 
of  sympathy  and  kindness.  They  never  forgot 
that  they  were  brethren,  bound  together  by  the 
ties  and  obligations  of  a  noble  profession  ;  and 
whenever  they  were  brought  in  contact,  whether 
under  the  friendly  folds  of  a  flag  of  truce  or  in  the 
bloody  carnage  of  a  battle-field,  or  'mid  the  sicken- 
ing horrors  of  the  prison  house,  it  was  with  bosoms 
as  full  of  kindly  feelings  and  hands  as  ready  to  ren- 
der a  service  as  if  no  war-cloud  enshrouded  the 
heavens. 

It  is  a  notable  circumstance,  also,  that  within 
three  months  after  the  flag  of  the  Confederacy  was 
folded  at  Appomattox,  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation met  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  with  dele- 
gates from  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  held  as 
harmonious  and  fraternal  a  session  as  had  ever  been 
known  in  its  history.  Thus  it  is  that  the  physi- 
cians of  the  country  have  been  enabled,  by  their 
inherent  conservatism  and  their  unfaltering  devo- 
tion to  the  principles  of  their  profession,  to  do  their 
duty  upon  either  side,  uninfliienced  by  passion  or  by 
I  prejudice,  and  to  become  the  pioneers  in  the  work 
of  a  veritable  reconstruction  of  the  Union — the  re- 
vivication  of  sentiments  of  reciprocal  love  and  con- 
fidence between  the  alienated  sections. 

Miss  Stevens  was  accompanied  by  her  father,  who 


182  A  doctor's  experiences 

was  then  an  old  man,  and  she  had  pu  board  a  pet 
grey-hound  which  proved  to  be  a  very  poor  sailor, 
and  the  source  of  great  solicitude  to  its  fair  mistress. 
Some  years  afterward  I  met  her  at  the  Springs  in 
Virginia,  whither  she  had  gone  with  her  husband, 
Mr.  Garnett,  to  pass  her  "honey-moon."  Twentj^ 
years  later  I  was  sent  for  in  Cairo  to  attend  a  "  lady 
at  the  Grand  ISTew  Hotel,"  and,  to  my  surprise,  found 
my  quondam  friend  of  the  North  Star  and  the  White 
Sulphur.  Her  first  husband  having  died  soon  after 
their  marriage  she  had  given  her  hand  and  her 
fortune  to  a  dilapidated  rebel,  Mr.  H.  P.  C.  Lewis, 
of  Virginia,  a  relative  of  General  Lee,  and  one  of 
the  most  genial  gentlemen  whom  I  have  ever 
met.  How  small  a  place  the  world  is  after  all ! 
How  strange  are  the  rencontres  of  life !  It  seems  to 
me  that  if  one  could  live  long  enough,  he  would 
meet  again  with  every  one  that  he  had  seen  before, 
especially  if  he  lived  in  Paris. 

There  was  great  anxiety  among  the  passengers 
to  see  the  American  papers,  and  to  learn  the  result 
of  the  election,  for  Mr.  Wise  had  just  made  his 
celebrated  canvass  against  the  Know-Nothing  party, 
and  it  was  impossible  not  to  feel  an  interest  in  its 
result. 

His  election  to  the  office  of  Governor  of  his  native 
State  proved  the  death-blow  of  the  so-called  Ameri- 
can party,  and  produced  a  profound  sensation 
throughout  the  country.  That  party  originated  in 
the  natural  apprehension  of  the  foreign  element  as  a 
controlling  power  in  our  elections,  and  the  possible 
destruction  of  republican  institutions  through  its 
instrumentality  :  and  for  sometime  it  swept  every- 
thing before  it,  and  threatened  the  annihilation  of 
all  other  political  organizations.  But  though  it 
had  in  view  a  legitimate  object — the  retention  of 
political  power  in  the  hands  of  native-born  citizens — • 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  183 

its  antagonism  to  religious  freedom  and  its  appeal 
to  secret  combinations  as  a  means  of  success  event- 
ually wrought  its  destruction.  Wise  was  a  man  of 
vehement  passions,  of  great  energy  of  character,  of 
-chivalrous  courage,  and  of  wonderful  eloquence, 
and  inspired  by  the  desperate  condition  of  his 
own  party,  the  assault  upon  that  liberty  of  con- 
science which  the  Constitution  guaranteed,  and  the 
resort  to  oath-bound  societies  as  a  means  of  domi- 
nation, he  inaugurated  a  crusade  against  Know- 
nothingism  which,  for  the  virulence  displayed  on 
the  one  side  and  the  rancor  engendered  on  the 
other,  has  never  had  its  equal  in  political  warfare. 
His  success  made  him  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and 
he  has  ever  since  been  canonized  by  the  Democratic 
party  as  a  saint  and  savior.  Strange  to  relate, 
though  devoted  to  the  South,  and  ready,  as  tlie 
sequel  proved,  to  shed  his  blood  and  to  sacrifice 
his  children  in  its  behalf,  he  was  not  an  "  original 
secessionist."  He  advocated  war  on  the  part  of  his 
s.ection,  but  his  idea  was  that,  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  establish  an  independent  government,  it 
should  march  to  Washington,  raise  "  the  stars  and 
stripes"  upon  the  National  Capitol,  and  say  to  the 
people  of  the  country  :  ^'  We  will  submit  to  insult 
and  aggression  no  longer,  but  we  are  resolved  to 
maintain  our  rights  in  the  Union  and  under  the  a3gis 
of  the  Constitution.  We  desire  nothing  that  is  not 
just  and  right  and  legal ;  and.  we  call  upon  every 
patriot  and  honest-minded  man,  whatever  his  place 
of  birth  or  his  party  affiliation,  to  come  to  our  aid 
and  to  help  us  restore  and  perpetuate  the  govern- 
ment of  our  fathers,"  or  language  to  the  same  effect. 
To  my  mind,  there  was  embodied  in  this  proposition 
more  of  true  statesmanship,  of  real  sagacity  and  of 
knowledge  of  the  American  people  than  was  dis- 
played by  all  of  our  public  men  combined,  for  had 


184  A  doctor's  experiences 

it  been  carried  out,  the  great  rallying  cry  of  '^  pro- 
tection to  the  old  flag,"  by  which  the  heart  of  the 
great  North  was  fired  and  its  people  united  in. 
solid  phalanx  against  us,  would  never  have  been 
heard  ;  and  although  there  might  have  been  a  war^ 
and  a  bloody  one,  it  would  soon  have  terminated ^ 
without  leaving  the  entire  South  in  tears  and  ashes. 

As  I  passed  through  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  en 
route  to  Carolina  I  was  struck  by  their  appearance  of 
prosperity  and  by  the  beauty  of  their  situation  and 
surroundings,  little  dreaming  how  soon  they  were 
to  become  the  scene  of  a  great  disaster  and  a  general 
mourning. 

Shortly  afterward  they  were  visited  by  a  fearful 
epidemic  of  yellow  fever.  Both  places  soon  be- 
came scenes  of  death  and  desolation — more  than  two 
thousand  persons  succumbed  to  the  malady  ;  their 
people,  utterly  panic-stricken,  fled  in  every  possi- 
ble direction  ;  all  business  was  suspended,  and  only 
a  voice  of  wailing  was  heard  in  the  deserted  streets  ; 
and  yet  not  a  physician  proved  recreant  or  showed 
a  craven  spirit,  but,  on  the  contrary,  each  deter- 
mined deliberately  to  die  rather  than  to  leave  his 
post,  to  do  his  duty  without  hesitancy  and  mur- 
muring, and  to  let  the  result  take  care  of  itself.  It^ 
was  in  response  to  the  suggestions  of  such  a  spirit 
as  this  that  a  "committee  of  relief "  was  organ- 
ized, having  for  its  objects  the  nursing  of  the  sick, 
the  burial  of  the  dead,  the  care  of  the  homeless- 
orphans^  the  collection  of  funds  and  provisions  for 
the  destitute,  and  the  supply  of  additional  physi- 
cians to  take  the  place  of  those  who  fell  victims  ta 
the  disease. 

Upon  the  list  of  those  who  responded  to  this  ap- 
peal for  assistance  I  am  proud  to  find  your  hon- 
ored name ;  and,  in  my  judgment,  in  exposing 
yourself  to  the  terrors  of  this  virulent  pestilence^ 


/ 


\ 


JOHN     MORRIS,    M.      ]). 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  185 

in  raising  aloft  the  banner  of  the  profession  and 
carrying  it  into  the  very  jaws  of  death,  you  deserve 
a  meed  of  praise  compared  with  which  the  Victoria 
Cross  and  ribbon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  should 
count  as  empty  baubles.  When  a  soldier  takes  his 
life  in  his  hands  and  charges  with  the  forlorn  hope 
into  the  deadly  breach,  enthused  by  the  gaudia 
certaminis  and  all  the  inspiring  entourage  of  the 
battle-field,  he  is  crowned  with  laurels,  surfeited 
with  praise,  and  chronicled  as  a  hero  and  a  mar- 
tyr. But  how  much  more  deserving  of  honor  and 
remembrance  is  the  physician  who,  having  nothing 
to  inspire  or  to  sustain  him  but  a  sense  of  duty 
and  the  approval  of  his  conscience — without  the 
expectation  of  reward,  and  with  the  prospect  of  an 
inevitable  death — deliberately  surrenders  his  prac- 
tice, bids  adieu  to  his  friends^,  and  takes  his  place 
in  the  already  decimated  ranks  of  those  who  are 
fighting  some  death-dealing  epidemic?  And  yet 
the  world  worships  the  soldier  and  forgets  the  doc- 
tor, or  rather,  it  regards  the  heroism  of  the  one 
as  sublime,  and  it  takes  that  of  the  other  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course.  How  mapy  people  in  Baltimore  can 
you  name  wdio  remember  this  unselfish  and  courage- 
ous sacrifice  of  yourself  to  the  cause  of  science  and 
humanity  ?  I  have  often  heard  you  spoken  of  as 
a  man  of  talent,  integrity,  kindness  of  heart,  and 
geniality  of  disposition,  but  I  scarcely  ever  heard  a 
reference  made  to  that  for  which  you  deserve  a 
monument — your  voluntary  services  to  the  sick  and 
dying  citizens  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth.  Such 
is  the  world,  my  friend,  and  if  there  were  not  a 
faithful  record  kept  elsewhere  of  every  noble  im- 
pulse and  heroic  deed,  life  would  be  as  valueless  as 
a  discarded  oyster-shell,  and  as  uninteresting  as  a 
picnic  on  the  banks  of  the  Lena. 

Quite  a  number  of  refugees  came    to    Edenton, 


186  A  doctor's  experiences 

and,  thougli  they  brought  disease  and  consterna- 
tion with  them,  they  received  a  cordial  welcome  ; 
for  Southern  hospitality  in  those  days  was  some- 
thing to  be  proud  of  and  depended  upon.  In  this 
instance  virtue  had  its  reward,  for  the  disease  con- 
fined itself  to  those  who  had  already  been  exposed 
to  the  epidemic  influence. 

It  was  thus  that  I  became  acquainted  with  yellow 
fever,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  studying  its  clini- 
cal history,  with  the  results  of  arriving  at  the  fol- 
lowing conclusions  respecting  it : 

1.  That  the  disease  is  of  foreign  origin  and  was 
imported. 

2.  That  it  spread  from  the  point  at  which  it  was: 
landed  until  a  definite  area  was  invaded,  including 
the  sites  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth. 

3.  That  it  developed  and  disseminated  itself  be- 
cause it  found  at  the  point  of  debarkation,  and  within 
the  limits  mentioned,  certain  conditions — atmos- 
pheric or  systemic — favorable  to  the  fructification 
of  the  germs  Avhich  give  it  vitality — the  germs 
themselves  being  of  animal  origin. 

4.  That,  in  addition  to  tjiese  conditions,  it  found 
itself  surrounded  and  modified  by  the  presence  of 
other  germs  of  vegetable  origin — those  to  which  we 
give  the  name  of  malaria. 

5.  That  the  disease  when  developed  presented  a 
composite  character,  being  made  up  of  two  classes 
of  phenomena — those  due  to  the  action  of  germs  of 
animal  origin,  and  those  due  to  the  influence  of 
vegetable  genesis. 

6.  That  the  specific,  or  animal  germs,  are  inca- 
pable of  reproduction  without  the  co-operation  of 
the  special  conditions  already  mentioned. 

7.  That  the  vegetable  germs,  or,  in  other  words, 
malaria,  has  no  agency  per  se  in  the  development 
of  the  disease,  but  supplies  the  conditions  for  its 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  '     18T 

production  J  and  modifies  it  after  it  has  been  2)ro- 
duced. 

8.  That  while  the  rational  treatment  of  the  dis- 
€ase  consists  in  sustaining  the  strength  of  the  pa- 
tient, and  stimulating  the  secerning  organs  to  a 
more  active  performance  of  their  functions,  it  is 
also  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  neutralize  or 
to  destroy  the  malarial  elements  and  to  counteract 
their  effects  upon  the  economy. 

A  number  of  physicians  fell  victims  to  the 
epidemic,  and  among  them  were  some  of  my  col- 
lege mates,  notably  Richard  Sylvester  and  Junius 
Briggs — two  as  splendid  fellows  as  ever  wrote  M. 
D.  to  their  names. 

They  had  just  graduated,  and  had  the  most  bril- 
liant prospects  before  them,  but  when  the  visita- 
tion came  they  remained  faithfully  at  their  posts 
like  good  men  and  true  physicians,  and  they  died 
there  among  the  first  victims  of  the  epidemic. 

Little  did  I  think  when  I  parted  with  them  at 
the  University,  with  health  glowing  in  their  ruddy 
cheeks  and  hope  mirrored  in  their  beaming  eyes, 
that  cheerless  graves  awaited  them  at  home,  and 
their  names  were  so  soon  to  be  written  upon  tlie 
records  which  medicine  reserves  for  its  heroes  and 
its  martyrs.  And  yet  their  last  hours  were  cheered 
by  the  reflection  that  they  had  made  a  good  fight 
in  the  cause  of  science  and  humanity,  and  that 
though  their  careers  were  comparatively  short  not 
a  shadow  of  a  stain  had  marred  them. 

As  I  look  back  and  recall  all  that  has  passed 
since  then,  especially  the  incidents  connected  with 
those  dark  days  when  the  hopes  of  their  peo})le 
were  crushed,  and  the  land  that  they  loved  so  well 
was  rifled  and  ruined,  it  is  a  question  with  me  as 
to  who  were  the  more  fortunate,  those  who  were 
early  called,  or  those  who  were  left  behind  to  drain 


188  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  cup  of  sorrow  and  humiliation  to  the  dregs?  If 
they  did  not  live  to  taste  the  pleasures  and  to  reap 
the  honors  of  life,  they  were  at  least  saved  its  vexa- 
"tions  and  its  vicissitudes,  while,  if  faith  has  its 
fruition  and  virtue  its  reward  in  the  hetter  land 
beyond  the  tomb,  they  have  not  lost  by  the  fate 
which  overtook  them  in  the  pride  and  promise  of 
their  early  manhood. 

I  found  that  my  father's  principal  rival  was  a 
certain  Dr.  P.,  who  had  been  attracted  to  Edenton 
by  Dr.  Wright's  departure  for  Norfolk  and  my  ab- 
sence in  Europe.  He  was  a  physician  of  little  abil- 
ity, but  a  man  of  great  cunning.  He  knew,  in 
fact,  all  the  tricks  and  dodges  by  which  to  secure 
notoriety  and  to  counterfeit  success,  and  he  most 
industriously  resorted  to  them.  He  rented  the 
most  conspicuous  pew  in  church,  arrived  always 
at  a  late  hour,  and  had  himself  called  out  before 
the  conclusion  of  the  sermon.  He  purchased — on 
credit — a  splendid  "  turnout,"  and  had  it  conspic- 
uously brought  to  his  door  several  times  daily_, 
driving  off  as  if  summoned  in  hot  haste  to  scores 
of  impatient  or  dying  patients.  He  pretended  to 
a  familiar  correspondence  with  the  leading  medi- 
cal men  of  the  country,  and  habitually  entertained 
the  audience  of  the  streets  corners  with  fictitious 
letters,  filled  with  fulsome  compliments  to  him- 
self. He  magnified  the  simplest  cases  into  the 
■  gravest  maladies,  and  claimed  great  credit  for  his 
accurate  diagnoses  and  his  skillful  cures.  He  af- 
fected great  interest  in  "  scientific  farming  " — in 
the  application  of  ''chemical  principles  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  soil,"  as  he  expressed  it — jand  or- 
ganized an  Agricultural  Society,  before  which  he 
delivered  weekly  lectures,  interlarded  with  such 
technical  terms  as  his  memory  could  retain^  and 
replete   with    accounts    of  capital   surgical  opera- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  189 

tions,  happy  hits  in  the  treatment  of  disease,  won- 
derful discoveries  of  remedies  and  professional  tri- 
umphs generally — all  culled  from  the  field  of  his 
imagination  and  planned  to  secure  an  abundant 
harvest  of  "the  needful."  He  dressed  in  a  style 
as  unique  as  it  was  conspicuous,  and  such  broad- 
brimmed  felts,  long-tailed  coats,  expansive  shirt 
collars^  gaudy  neckties,  glistening  patent-leathers^ 
and  ponderous  watch-chains  never  "cut  a  swell" 
before  or  since,  even  in  "  the  land  of  Dixie."  He 
rushed  madly  into  print  on  every  possible  occasion, 
and  our  modest  "  weekly  "  fairly  groaned  under 
the  weight  of  his  voluminous  contributions  on 
medical  toj^iics,  each  copied  verbatim  from  the  text 
books.  And  he  grew  so  desperately  intimate  on 
the  shortest  acquaintance,  calling  everybody  by  an 
abbreviation  of  his  Christian  name,  giving  such 
friendly  slaps  upon  the  shoulder  by  way  of  saluta- 
tion, and  proposing  so  constantly  to  "stand  treat," 
that  a  stranger  would  have  supposed  he  had  been 
raised  in  every  family  in  the  county  and  was  the 
blood  relation  of  the  whole  community. 

Seeing  all  this  and  knowing  something  of  the 
credulity  of  human  nature,  I  began  to  regard  him 
as  possibly  a  dangerous  rival,  and  so  remarked  to 
my  father.  The  old  gentleman,  with  a  more  pro- 
found knowledge  of  mankind  in,  general  and  of  the 
people  around  him  in  particular,  only  smiled  when 
I  expressed  my  fears  in  this  regard,  and  said  in 
reply  to  my  expression  of  apprehension :  "  He  is  not 
worthy  of  a  thought.  Give  him  rope  enough  and  he 
will  hang  himself.  It  is  true  that  there  is  nothing 
«o  successful  as  success,  but  it  must  be  a  genuine 
success ;  and  a  shallow-pated  and  vulgar  pretender 
like  P.  is  as  sure  to  go  to  the  wall  as  that  the  sun 
shines.  A  small  community  is  too  inquisitive  to 
be  deceived  by  "any  pretense  of  business,  and  the 


190  A  doctor's  experiences 

sheriff  will  sell  him  out  before  the  end  of  the  year, 
or  I  am  no  judge  of  the  situation."  And  so  it 
turned  out.  He  who  had  gone  np  a  rocket  soon 
came  down  a  sticky  and  there  was  a  public  "  ven- 
due" of  his  goods  and  chattels  in  a  shorter  time 
even  than  my  father  had  predicted.  He  seemed  to 
take  his  discomfiture  as  if  he  were  accustomed  to 
it,  and  started  off  to  seek  new  fields  of  adventure, 
arrayed  in  his  marvelous  get-u23j  and  as  jovial  of 
manner  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Indeed,  I 
could  not  help  admiring  the  perfect  sang  froid 
which  he  manifested  in  the  hour  of  his  defeat,  and 
I  came  to  regard  him  in  the  light  of  a  philosopher 
as  well  as  a  fraud,  if  two  such  antipodal  characters 
can  associate  themselves  in  the  same  individual. 
To  give  you  a  better  idea  of  this  man  I  will  tell 
you  of  a  trick  by  which  he  victimized  a  friend  on 
the  eve  of  his  departure  from  Edenton.  He  had 
been  intimate  with  a  young  woman  who  was  not 
altogether  a  pattern  of  propriety,  and  a  day  or  two 
before  he  was  to  leave  he  received  a  letter  from  her 
appealing  to  his  paternal  sentiments  for  assistance 
and  protection.  Observing  that  the  envelope 
alone  bore  his  address,  and  suspecting  that  a 
young  man  of  the  town  might  be  as  culpable  as 
himself,  he  very  quietly  put  the  letter  in  another 
envelope,  and  directing  it  in  a  disguised  hand  to 
his  friend,  slipped  off  to  parts  unknown.  j 

The  bait  took  ;  the  girl  accepted  the  unexpected 
succor  without  explanation  ;  and  twelve  years  after- 
ward, to  ray  certain  knowledge,  the  aforesaid  young! 
man  was  supporting  P.'s  gage  cV amour ^  without  a 
suspicion  of  mistaken  paternity  or  of  the  little 
game  by  which  he  had  been  so  artfully  victimized. 

T  have  already  mentioned  the  name  of  Dr. 
Wright,  and  I  have,  indeed,  a  sad  history  to  re- 
late respecting  him.     He  belonged  to  one  of  our 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS,  191 

best  families,  and  he  was  pre-eminently  a  good 
man  and  a  thorough  gentleman.  Having  studied 
medicine  with  my  father,  practiced  in  association 
with  him,  and  lived  as  his  friend  and  neighbor  for 
many  years,  the  relations  between  them  and  their 
families  were  of  the  most  intimate  character.  In 
1854  he  removed  to  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  tlie 
loyalty  of  his  character,  the  amiability  of  his  na- 
ture, his  thorough  knowledge  of  medicine,  and  his 
courage  and  devotion  in  the  fever  epidemic  secured 
him  many  warm  friends  and  liberal  patrons.  He 
had  a  lovely  wife  and  a  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters,  who  were  singularly  devoted  to  their 
parents  and  to  each  other — constituting  one  of  the 
happiest  home  circles  I  ever  knew.  When  forced  by 
impending  hostilities  to  remove  my  wife  and  child 
from  Baltimore,  I  carried  them  as  far  as  Norfolk  on 
their  homeward  journey,  and  stopped  for  several 
days  at  the  Doctor's  house.  At  that  time,  though 
devoted  to  the  South  ,h  e  deprecated  the  war ,  expressed 
his  love  for  the  Union,  and  still  hoped  that  the  wis- 
dom and  patriotism  of  the  nation  would  assert 
themselves  before  an  issue  was  irretrievably  made 
between  its  sections.  In  a  word,  he  spoke  as  a  pa- 
triot and  not  as  a  politician,  giving  expression  to 
the  most  liberal  and  fraternal  sentiments,  and 
showing  that  his  position  was  altogether  a  conser- 
vative one.  Little  did  I  dream  that  the  delightful 
circle  which  I  found  beneath  his  hospitable  roof — 
a  circle  bound  together  by  the  cohesive  power  of 
reciprocal  admiration  and  affection — was  so  soon 
to  be  broken  up  by  the  saddest  circumstances  that 
the  human  mind  can  conceive  of — the  execution  of 
its  cherished  head  upon  the  gallows,  and  the  death 
of  the  eldest  son  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

Soon  after  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the  Con- 
federate forces  its  citizens  were  astonished  and  hor- 


192  A  doctor's  experiences  i 

rifiecl  by  the  organization  of  a  military  company  oil 
negroes,  commanded  by  an  officer  of  the  United; 
States  Army.  The  poor  Doctor,  in  the  excitement; 
of  the  moment  as  it  passed  him  for  the  first 
time,  exclaimed,  ''How  dastardly  !  "  and  the  cap- 
tain having  heard  the  remark^  turned  upon  him 
with  his  drawn  sword.  At  this  critical  moment 
some  friend  thrust  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  with  which 
he  killed  his  assailant.  A  trial  by  court-martial 
was  immediately  held  ;  no  extenuating  circum- 
stances were  admitted  ;  and  the  simple  fact  that 
an  officer  of  the  army  had  been  slain  by  a  rebel 
sympathizer  outweighed  all  other  considerations: 
and  this  good  man  who  had  never  entertained  an 
unkind  thought  toward  a  human  being,  and  who 
had  only  fired  as  a  last  resort  when  his  life  was  in 
jeopardyj  was  condemned  to  die  the  death  of  a 
felon ,  and  was  actually  hung  despite  the  entreaties  of 
his  wife  and  children,  the  appeals  of  his  friends  and 
the  protests  of  the  Confederate  authorities.  On 
the  day  preceding  his  execution  his  eldest  daugh- 
ter obtained  permission  to  visit  his  cell^  and  made 
a  desperate  effort  to  rescue  him.  Enveloping  him 
in  her  cloak  and  placing  her  bonnet  upon  his  head, 
with  its  vail  drooped  over  his  face,  she  sent  him 
out  of  the  prison  by  the  route  which  she  had  en- 
tered it,  while  she  covered  herself  up  in  his  vacant 
bed,  and  awaited  the  result  of  her  brave  experi- 
ment. It  came  near  succeeding.  It  was  the  sen- 
tinel at  the  last  gate  who  recognized  the  boots  of  a 
man  as  the  disguised  figure  passed  through  it  and 
who  arrested  the  fugitive  just  as  he  was  on  the  point 
of  joining  the  friends  vvdio  waited  without  to  convey 
him  to  a  place  of  safety  ;  and  the  distracted  daugh- 
ter had  only  the  mortification  of  seeing  him  brought 
back  in  chains,  and  of  hearing  herself  insulted  as  a 
criminal  for  her  sublime   act   of  self-sacrifice  and 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  193 

filial  duty.  On  the  succeeding  day  the  gallows 
did  its  cruel  work,  and  he  who  deserved  a  hero's 
recompense  for  a  life  consecrated  to  truth,  honor, 
justice  and  humanity,  was  foully  murdered  in  the 
name  of  the  law,  because,  with  a  swords  point  at 
his  heart,  he  had  instinctively  obeyed  the  voice  of 
manhood  and  of  nature  and  had  raised  his  hand  in 
defense  of  his  life.  There  are  many  extreme  things 
which  can  be  attributed  to  the  passions  excited  by 
a  sanguinary  war  and  pardoned  accordingly ;  but  for 
this  act  of  barbarity,  this  violation  of  every  princi- 
ple of  justice,  there  can  be  found  neither  the 
shadow  of  an  excuse  nor  the  semblance  of  a  palli- 
ation. It  looms  up,  in  fact,  from  the  darkest  page 
in  the  history  of  the  struggle  as  the  most  conspicu- 
ous and  the  least  pardonable  of  all  the  atrocities 
committed  on  either  side,  and  constitutes  an  eter- 
nal reproach  to  humanity  and  to  the  civilization  of 
the  century. 

I  have  reason  to  believe  that  his  final  appeal  to 
the  Executive  of  the  nation  failed  to  reach  its  des- 
tination, and  that  upon  the  conscience  of  some  un- 
scrupulous subordinate  rests  the  responsibility  of 
the  consummation  of  this  infamy.  The  man  in 
whose  heart  was  conceived  the  heaven-inspired 
sentiment  embodied  in  the  words:  ''^with  charity 
for  all  and  malice  toward  none,"  could  no  more 
have  consented  to  the  cruel  murder  of  this  innocent 
man — innocent  because  the  act  for  which  he  suf- 
fered was  done  without  premeditation  and  in  self- 
defense — than  he  could  have  brought  himself  to 
play  the  role  of  executioner  on  that  memorable 
morning  when  from  the  gallows  at  Norfolk  an  un- 
sullied soul  ascended  to  heaven,  and  the  bans:- 
man  s  rope  was  made  an  instrument  for  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  a  gentleman,  a  Christian  and  a  hero. 
13 


194  A  doctor's  experiences 

His  eldest  son,'  who  had  just  attained  his  majority 
and  was  the  inheritor  of  all  the  virtues  which 
adorned  his 'father's  character,  went  into  the  fight 
at  Gettysburg,  and  is  still  among  ^'the  missing." 
His  body  was  never  found,  and  nothing  is  known 
respecting  his  fate  save  that  he  was  seen  to  fall  in 
the  fatal  charge  upon  the  heights. 

I  subsequently  saw  the  wife  and  mother,  upon 
whom  these  terrible  calamities  had  fallen,  at  Chapel 
Hill — for  she  had  been  permitted  to  come  into  our 
lines  to  seek  the  kindly  offices  of  the  friends  of  her 
better  days — and  the  sad  picture  which  she  pre- 
sented is  graven  eternally  upon  my  memory.  I 
found  her  sitting  as  upright  as  a  statue,  speechless, 
tearless  and  immovable,  the  embodiment  of  the 
profonndest  sorrow  and  the  uttermost  despondency. 
She  seemed  completely  dazed,  blighted  and  be-| 
numbed — like  one  whose  soul  had  been  translated 
and  whose  body  left  behind  with  just  corporeal 
sense  enough  to  perpetuate  existence  and  to  main-  \ 
lain  identity.  I  had  seen  her  when  as  a  happy 
bride  she  walked  down  the  aisle  of  old  St.  Paul's, 
leaning  upon  the  arm  of  her  loving  husband,  fol- 
lowed by  troops  of  admiring  friends,  and  dreaming 
of  a  future  canopied  by  naught  but  sunbeams  ;  I 
had  seen  her  again  the  proud  mother  of  sons  and 
daughters  of  beauty,  the  mistress  of  a  household 
within  which  love  and  happiness  reigned  supreme, 
and  the  object  of  the  respect  and  the  admiration  of 
a  whole  community  ;  and  when  I  beheld  her  as  she 
appeared  at  Chapel  Hill,  the  personification  of  suf- 
fering and  the  illustration  of  despair,  the  contrast 
struck  so  deeply  into  my  soul  that,  forgetting  my 
manhood,  I  burst  into  tears  and  wept  like  some 
broken-hearted  child  upon  her  shoulder.  What  a 
blessed  thing  are  tears,  and  what  a  dreadful  ca- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  .  195 

lamity  it  was  to  this  poor  woman  that  she  could 
not  shed  them  !  Her  children  married  well,  and 
are  happy,  for  time  brings  its  consolation  to  the 
young  even  if  it  opens  wider  and  extends  deeper 
the  wounds  which  maturer  hearts  have  received. 


196  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XII.  I 

COMMENCE  LIFE  IN  EARNEST.  | 

My  Dear  Doctor  :  : 

Immediately  on  my  return  to  Edenton  my  father 
made  me  a  coj)artner  in  his  business,  and  I  went 
regularly  to  work.  This  did  not  mean  child's  play, 
as  his  practice  extended  over  several  counties,  and  it 
required  six  horses  to  do  that  portion  of  it  which 
could  be  reached  on  land.  He  had  also  a  number  of 
patients  who  were  only  accessible  by  water,  and 
many  a  thrilling  adventure  did  I  have  while  cross- 
ing the  sounds  and  rivers  in  the  ''dug-outs" 
deculiar  to  that  section. 

Mr.  Josiah  Collins,  who  lived  on  Lake  Scupper- 
nong,  in  Washington  County,  regularly  employed 
us,  and  to  reach  his  house  the  sound  had  to  be. 
crossed  and  a  journey  of  thirty-five  miles  made  by 
land.  This  gentleman  and  his  place  require  more 
than  a  passing  notice,  as  he  was  an  extraordinary 
man,  and  it  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  estates] 
in  the  South. 

His  grandfather  came  from  England  at  an  early^ 
period  in  the  history  of  the  Colonies  and  settled  at. 
Edenton,  where  by  his    intelligence,  energy   and] 
character  he  acquired  a  princely  fortune  and  left 
an  honored  name.     The  son    who  succeeded   him 
was  a  fit  representative  of  his  father,  and  having 
married  a  lady  belonging  to  one  of  the  best  families 
of  New  Berne,  he  raised  a  large  family  of  children, 
each  one  of  whom  possessed  remarkable  gifts  of  mind 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  197 

and  person.     The  ladies  of  the  family  were  especi- 
ally  distinguished  for    their  beauty,  their  intelli- 
l  gence  and  their  accomplishments,  while  their  house 
was  the  center  of  society   for    that    section  of  the 
State — and  a  more  delightful  and  hospitable  one 
I  can  not  be  conceived  of.     As  they  regularly  visited 
:  the  principal  cities  and  watering-places,  and   had 
I  in  addition  to  their  charm  of  person  and  character 
large  fortunes  in  their  own    right,  they  were  the 
greatest  belles  in  that  part  of  the  country.     They 
had,  in  fact,  many  offers  of  marriage,  and  it  was  a 
rare  thing  for  the  town  not  to  have  as  a  visitor  some 
stranger    of  distinction  who  was  seeking   to    ally 
himself  with  that  family.     The  fortunate  suitors 
were  the  Hon.   William  B.  Shepard,  Dr.  Matthew 
Page,  Dr.   Thomas  A.   Harrison  and  Dr.  Thomas 
D.  Warren,  the  latter  being  a  near  relative  of  my 
father. 

The  sons  were  also  splendid  types  of  humanity, 
possessing  fine  physiques  and  good  minds  improved 
by  excellent  educations. 

Hugh  W.  Collins,  the  second  son,  stood  six  feet 
and  two  inches  in  his  stockings,  and  though  of  hercu- 
lean proportions  his  figure  was  symmetrical  and  his 
carriage  remarkably  graceful.  He  had  besides  an 
exceedingly  handsome  and  attractive  face,  with 
regular  features,  soft  blue  eyes,  and  a  smile  of 
peculiar  fascination,  while  his  head  was  of  faultless 
development,  covered  with  a  profusion  of  sunny 
curls,  and  sat  on  his  shoulders  like  that  of  an 
Apollo.  Though  he  was  as  lavish  with  his  means 
as  a  prince,  as  gentle  in  nature  as  a  girl,  and  as 
gay  of  spirits  as  a  bird,  he  was  brave  to  rashness, 
and  as  chivalrous  as  any  Plumed  Knight.  He  ex- 
celled in  everything.  He  was  the  strongest  man, 
the  best  horseman,  the  deadliest  shot,  the  finest 
boxer,  the  fleetest  skater,  the  greatest  beau,  and  the 


198  A  doctor's  experiences 

most  eloquent  speaker  in  his  section.  His  memory, 
also,  was  something  phenomenal,  retaining  every- 
thing with  absolute  fidelity,  and  rendering  him  a 
perfect  encyclopedia.  Nature,  in  truth,  had  been 
lavish  wjth  him,  and  having  in  his  early  days  ap- 
preciated her  bounty,  he  grew  up  a  second  Crich- 
ton  : 

"  A  combination  and  a  form  indeed, 
Where  every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal, 
To  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man." 

And  yet  with  all  this  promise  and  these  splendid 
gifts  he  never  rose  to  be  more  than  a  member  of 
the  legislature,  and  he  died  at  a  comparatively 
early  age,  with  but  a  modicum  of  fame  and  an  estate 
in  ruins.  His  manhood  was  consecrated  to  great 
intentions — to  dreams  which  luere  to  he  realized ; 
his  generosity  was  abused  by  friends  who  lived 
upon  his  bounty  and  made  i;eturns  only  in  promises  ; 
his  geniality  but  served  to  cripple  his  talents  and 
to  destroy  his  health,  and  his  career,  which  ought 
to  have  been  as  refulgent  as  the  march  of  the  sun, 
was  simply  dazzling  like  the  flight  of  a  meteor. 

He  died  in  1854  in  the  old  mansion  at  Edenton, 
of  dropsy  resulting  from  cirrhosis  of  the  liver  ;  and 
as  I  saw  his  magnificent  frame  and  his  splendid 
intellect  succumb  to  the  King  of  Terrors,  I  could 
bat  reflect  upon  the  insignificance  of  humanity  and 
learn  a  lesson  of  humility  which  I  have  never  for- 
gotten. 

^  Josiah  Collins,  the    eldest   son,  though  totally 
different  from  his  brother,  possessed  many  remark-  ■ 
able   traits   of  character.     He  was   a  man  of  high 
principles,    brilliant   intellect,    great    kindness  of 
heart,  and  extraordinary  capacity  for  business,  but  : 
the  predominating  trait  in  his  character  was  pride. 
The  senior  member  of  the  family,  and  having  im- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  199 

bibecl  his  father's  English  ideas  and  convictions, 
he  regarded  himself  as  the  representative  of  every 
excellence  which  apj)ertained  to  it.  He  esteemed 
his  blood  the  bluest,  Ms  opinions  the  wisest,  his 
tastes  the  truest,  and  ever\^thing  identified  with 
iiim  the  most  perfect  that  the  world  contained. 
He  was  an  autocrat  with  a  will  as  imperious  and  a 
sway  as  absolute  as  the  Czar  himself;  but,  though 
impatient  and  arbitrary  when  antagonized,  he  was 
the  soul  of  courtesy,  amiability  and  kindness  when 
unopposed.  Indeed,  such  a  fascination  of  manner, 
courtliness  of  bearing,  fluency  in  conversation,  fa- 
cility of  adaptation  to  circumstances  and  geniality 
of  disposition  as  he  could  display  I  have  never  seen 
united  in  the  same  individual. 

Somerset  Place,  as  he  designated  his  home,  was 
a  most  elegant  and  charming  establishment.  The 
house  was  of  modern  construction  and  arranged 
with  special  reference  to  the  comfort  of  its  inmates. 
It  was  filled  with  costly  furniture,  interesting 
books,  beautiful  plate  and  treasures  of  art;  sur- 
rounded by  stately  oaks  and  cypresses,  and  with  a 
beautiful  lawn  on  the  one  side  and  a  spacious  gar- 
den on  the  other.  It  was  built  immediately  upon 
the  shore  of  Lake  Scuppernong,  a  beautiful  sheet 
of  water  more  than  twenty-five  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence and  connected  with  the  river  of  the  same  name 
by  a  canal  of  Mr.  Collins'  own  construction.  The 
farm,  embracing  several  thousand  acres  of  arable 
land,  which  had  gradually  been  reclaimed  and 
brought  into  cultivation,  was  as  rich  as  the  Delta 
and  yielded  annually  a  princely  income.  There 
were  about  three  hundred  negroes  on  the  place, 
who  were  in  a  .^tate  of  perfect  discipline,  while  the 
greatest  attention  was  paid  to  their  comfort,  health 
and  general  welfare,  including  their  spiritual  con- 
dition, for  their  owner  was  a  staunch  churchman, 


200  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  maintained  a  chapel  and  chaplain  at  his  own 
expense.  Indeed,  it  was  a  constant  source  of  in- 
terest to  see  the  negroes  flocking  to  church  on 
Sundays,  ^participating  in  the  services — for  they 
ijnew  every  word  of  the  'Sprayer-book" — and  par- 
taking of  the  holy  communion  at  the  same  table 
with  their  master  and  the  members  of  his  family. 
In  my  early  days  there  were  still  living  several 
old  men  who  were  known  as  "Guinea  negroes," 
being  the  remnants  of  the  cargoes  of  African  slaves 
which  certain  enterprising  New  England  traders- 
had  brought  into  those  waters  and  sold  at  hand- 
some prices  to  the  neighboring  planters.  These 
antiquated  darkeys  spoke  a  sort  of  gibberish,  which 
was  a  medley  of  their  original  dialect  and  the 
English  language,  and  to  me  was  perfectly  unin- 
telligible. They  retained  all  of  their  original 
fetich  superstitions  and  were  as  uncivilized, 
even  in  their  old  age,  as  when  they  roamed  in 
youthful  freedom  among  the  jungles  of  the  dark 
continent.  The  negroes,  genereJly,  on. this  estate 
Avere  of  a  peculiar  type — a  people  sui  generis. 
Having  descended  from  ancestors  who  were  orig- 
inally kidnapped  in  Africa,  and  never  having  been 
brought  into  relations  with  other  representatives 
of  their  race,  they  had  retained  many  of  the  ideas 
and  traditions  of  their  native  land.  Though  ram- 
pant Christians,  with  "^the  service"  upon  the  tips 
of  their  tongues,  they  still  had  faith  in  evil  genii, 
charms,  philters,  metempsychosis^  etc.,  and  they 
habitually  indulged  in  an  infinitude  of  cabal- 
istic rites  and  ceremonies,  in  which  the  gizzards  of 
chickens,  the  livers  of  dogs,  the  heads  of  snakes 
and  the  tails  of  lizards  played  a  mysterious  but 
very  conspicuous  part. 

One  of  their  customs  was  playing  at  what  they 
called  "John  Koonering,"  though  this  was  more- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  201 

of  a  fantasia  than  a  religious  demonstration  :  that 
it  had,  however,  some  connection  with  their  relig- 
ion is  evident  from  the  fact  that  they  only  in- 
dulged in  it  on  Christian  festivals,  notably  on 
Christmas  day.  The  leading  character  is  the 
"ragman,"  whose  "get-up"  consists  in  a  costume 
of  rags,  so  arranged  that  one  end  of  each  hangs 
loose  and  dangles;  two  great  ox  horns,  attached  to 
the  skin  of  a  raccoon,  which  is  drawn  over  the 
head  and  face,  leaving  apertures  only  for  the  eyes 
and  mouth  ;  sandals  of  the  skin  of  some  wild 
"'varmint;"  several  cow  or  sheep  bells  or  strings 
of  dried  sroats'  horns  hanorino;  about  their  shoul- 
derSj  and  so  arranged  as  to  jingle  at  every  move- 
ment; and  a  short  stick  of  seasoned  wood,  carried 
in  his  hands. 

The  second  part  is  taken  by  the  best  looking 
darkey  of  the  place,  who  wears  no  disguise^  but  i& 
simply  arrayed  in  what  they  call  his  "Sunday-go-to- 
meeting  suit,"  and  carries  in  his  hand  a  small 
bowl  or  tin  cup,  while  the  other  parts  are  appro- 
priated by  some  half  a  dozen  fellows,  each  arrayed 
fantastically  in  ribbons,  rags,  and  feathers,  and 
bearing  between  them  several  so-called  musical  in- 
struments or  "  gumba  boxes,"  which  consist  of 
wooden  frames  covered  over  with  tanned  sheep- 
skins. These  are  usually  followed  by  a  motley 
crowd  of  all  ages,  dressed  in  their  ordinary  work- 
ing clothes,  which  seemingly  comes  as  a  guard  of 
honor  to  the  performers. 

Having  thus  given  you  an  idea  of  the  characters 
I  will  describe  the  performance  as  I  first  saw  it  at 
the  "Lake."  Coming  up  to  the  front  door  of  the 
"  great  house,"  the  musicians  commenced  to  beat 
their  gumba-boxes  violently,  while  characters  No. 
1  and  No.  2  entered  upon  a  dance  of  the  most  ex- 
traordinary   character — a    combination   of   bodily^ 


202  A  doctor's  experiexces 

contortions,  flings,  kicks,  gyrations,  and  antics  of 
•every  imaginable  description,  seemingly  acting  as 
partners,  and  yet  each  trying  to  excel  the  other  in 
the  variety  and  grotesqueness  of  his  movements. 
At  the  same  time  No.  2  led  off  with  a  song  of  a 
:strange,  monotonous  cadence,  which  seemed  ex- 
temporized for  the  occasion,  and  to  run  somewhat 
in  this  wise : 

"  My  massa  am  a  white  man,  juba  ! 
Old  missus  am  a  lady,  juba  I 
De  children  am  de  honey-XDods,  juba  !  juba ! 
Krismas  come  but  once  a  year,  juba  ! 
Jiiba  I  juba  !     O,  ye  juba ! 

^'  De  darkeys  lubs  de  hoe-cake,  juba ! 
Take  de  '  quarter'  for  to  buy  it,  juba  ! 
Petch  him  long,  you  white  folks,  juba !  juba ! 
Xrismas  come  but  once  a  year,  juba ! 
Juba  I  juba  I     0,  ye  juba  I" 

^^lile  the  whole  crowd  joined  in  the  chorus, 
shouting  and  cla2:)ping  their  hands  in  the  wildest 
glee.  After  singing  a  verse  or  two  No.  2  moved 
up  to  the  master,  with  his  hat  in  one  hand  and  a 
tin  cup  in  the  other,  to  receive  the  expected  "quar- 
ter," and,  while  making  the  lowest  obeisance, 
shouted:  "  May  de  good  Lord  bless  old  massa  and 
missus,  and  all  de  young  massas,  juba!"  The  "rag 
ixian"  during  this  part  of  the  performance  con- 
tinued his  dancing,  singing  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
the  same  refrain,  and  striking  vigorously  at  the 
crowd,  as  first  one  and  then  another  of  its  mem- 
bers attempted  to  tear  off  his  "head  gear"  and  to 
reveal  his  identity.  And  then  the  expected  "  quar- 
ter" having  been  jingled  for  sometime  in  the  tin  cup, 
the  performers  moved  on  to  visit  in  turn  the  young 
gentlemen's  colony,  the  tutor's  rooms,  the  par- 
don's study,  the  overseer's  house,  and^  finally,  the 
<juarters^  to  wind  up  with  a  grand  jollification,  in 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  203 

which  all  took  part  until  they  broke  down  and 
gave  it  up  from  sheer  exhaustion.  Except  at  the 
"  Lake"  and  in  Edenton,  where  it  originated  with 
the  Collins'  negroes,  I  never  witnessed  this  per- 
formance in  America,  and  I  was  convinced  from 
the  first  that  it  was  of  foreign  origin,  based  on 
some  festive  ceremony  which  the  negroes  had  in- 
herited from  their  African  ancestors. 

This  opinion  was  fully  confirmed  during  my 
residence  in  Egpyt,  for  I  found  that  the  blacks  in 
that  country  amuse  themselves  at  Byram — the 
principal  feast  of  the  Koran — with  a  performance 
absolutely  identical  with  that  which  I  had  seen  in 
Carolina,  save  in  the  words  of  their  '•  Kooner" 
song. 

I  also  met  there  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  old 
^'  Guinea  negroes"  of  the  Lake,  and  I  was  glad  to 
«ee  them  again,  as  they  served  to  revive  the  inci- 
dents and  associations  of  younger  and  happier  days. 

Mr.  Collins  was  pre-eminently  a  social  man,  and 
it  was  the  delight  of  his  heart  to  have  his  house 
filled  with  guests,  and  to  devote  himself  to  their 
entertainment.  I  scarcely  ever  visited  the  "Lake" 
without  finding  a  large  company  assembled  there, 
having  as  good  a  time  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive 
of.  Such  a  host  of  servants,  horses,  carriages, 
games,  boats,  guns,  accouterments,  musical  instru- 
ments, and  appliances  generally  for  interesting  and 
entertaining  people,  I  never  saw  collected  together. 
His  table  also  was  a  most  sumptuous  one.  It 
groaned  in  fact  beneath  the  load  of  every  delicacy 
that  taste  could  suggest,  and  such  triumphs  of  the 
culinary  art  as  were  only  possible  to  the  well- 
trained  darkey  cooks  with  which  his  kitchen  was 
crowded,  while  wines  of  the  most  ancient  vintage 
and  liquors  of  the  choicest  brand  flowed  around  it 
like    water   from    some   exhaustless    spring.     His 


204  A  doctor's  experiences 

laearing  under  liis  own  roof  stamped  him  at  once  as 
a  gentleman,  for  his  greeting  had  in  it  a  tone  of 
sincerity  that  was  simply  delightful,  while  his  hos- 
pitality possessed  a  spontaniety  and  a  comprehen- 
siveness which  instinctively  captivated  every  heart. 

I  regret  to  tell  you  that  the  war  which  he  had 
advocated  with  such  vehemence  and  deemed  so- 
necessary  for  the  vindication  of  Southern  honor 
and  the  maintenance  of  Southern  institutions 
proved  utterly  disastrous  to  him.  It  drove  him 
from  his  beautiful  home  ;  it  ruined  his  magnifi- 
cent estate  ;  it  scattered  his  well-trained  servants  ; 
it  sent  his  beloved  sons  to  the  battle-field,  and  it 
consigned  him  prematurely  to  the  grave,  a  broken- 
hearted and  an  impoverished  man.  He  had  his 
faults,  for  he  was  of  a  proud  nature,  and  a  domi- 
neering spirit,  oversatisfied  with  himself  and  im- 
patient in  the  face  of  opposition  ;  but  his  virtues- 
far  outweighed  his  failings,  and  a  braver,  nobler 
and  more  magnificent  type  of  humanity  has  seldom 
walked  among  men  in  any  land  or  time.  This  may 
seem  a  fulsome  eulogium  to  those  who  had  no  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  this  extraordinary  man, 
but  it  will  be  recognized  as  a  true  portrait  and  an 
honest  statement  by  his  friends  and  contemporaries. 

My  father  was  the  intimate  friend  and  the  trusted 
physician  of  this  family  for  nearly  fifty  years,  and 
he  has  often  told  me  that  they  were  the  best  people 
he  ever  knew.  They  were  certainly  the  most  gen- 
erous patrons  that  a  medical  man  was  ever  blessed 
with,  for  their  first  thought  when  sickness  occurred 
was  to  send  for  their  doctor,  and  they  were  ever 
ready  to  remunerate  him  with  an  open  hand_, 
whether  the  service  was  rendered  to  themselves  or 
to  the  humblest  of  their  slaves. 

In  the  year  1856  I  determined  to  compete  for  the 
-^'Fisk  Fund  Prize/'   which   was    offered   by  the 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  205 

Medical  Society  of  Rhode  Island  for  the  best  essay 
on  the  subject  of  ' '  The  effect  of  pregnancy  on  the,, 
development  and  march  of  the  tuberculosis." 
Having  devoted  myself  to  intense  study  of  the  sub- 
ject for  two  months,  I  sat  down  to  the  preparation 
of  my  thesis  and  completed  it  in  three  weeks,  mak- 
ing, as  I  thought,  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of 
the  proposition  :  that  the  disease  is,  as  a  rule,  re- 
tarded during  gestation^  and  supporting  it  by  many 
reliable  authorities,  especially  of  the  French  school. 
I  was  careful  to  have  it  mailed  in  the  city  of  Balti- 
more, fearing,  as  I  had  no  personal  knowledge  of 
the  members  of  the  commission  by  which  it  was  to 
be  judged,  that  the  post-mark  of  so  insignificant 
a  village  as  Edenton  might  prejudice  my  chances 
of  success.  After  waiting  at  least  three  months  in 
a  fever  of  suspense  for  the  decision,  and  when  al- 
most in  despair  of  a  favorable  result,  I  was  grati- 
fied by  the  arrival  of  a  letter  bearing  the  Provi- 
dence post-mark,  and  containing  a  notification  that 
the  prize  had  been  awarded  to  me,  with  a  check 
for  the  amount  to  which  that  result  entitled  the 
successful  competitor.  The  pleasure  which  this 
award  afforded  my  father,  and  the  pride  with 
which  he  announced  it  to  his  friends,  recompensed 
me  a  thousand  fold  more  than  the  money  received, 
which,  by  the  way,  I  invesed  in  the  silver  pitcher 
and  salver  out  of  which  we  so  often  drank  ''  claret- 
cup  "  together  in  other  days,  and  which  my  chil- 
dren still  class  among  their  treasures.  This  suc- 
cess helped  me  in  every  way.  It  stimulated  my 
energies  ;  it  inspired  me  with  corifidence  in  myself, 
and  it  gave  me  a  good  start  as  a  medical  man  in 
North  Carolina. 

The  thesis  was  published  in  book  form  by  the 
society,  and  was  for  a  long  time  popular  with  the 
profession. 


206  A  doctor's  experiences 

I  also  delivered  the  address  before  the  State  Med- 
ical Society  that  year,  taking  the  "Yellow  Fever 
Epidemic  of  Norfolk  "  as  my  theme,  and  dwelling 
on  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  displayed  in  that  re- 
gard by  the  profession — little  knowing  that  I  should 
subsequently  become  so  warmly  attached  to  one  of 
the  heroes  of  that  memorable  visitation.  This  ad- 
dress was  well  received  and  was  published  by  the 
society,  though  I  have  not  seen  a  copy  of  it  in 
twenty  years  at  least.  Some  day  I  want  you  to 
get  a  copy  and  read  it  carefully,  so  that  you 
may  understand  how  well  I  thought  of  you  before 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  your  personal  acquaintance. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  20T 


LETTER   XIII. 

AT  WORK. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  wealthiest  man  in  Chowan  County  at  the 
time  was  James  C.  Johnstone,  Esq.,  who  lived  at  a 
beautiful  place  in  immediate  proximity  to  Edenton, 
called  Hayes.  He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  John- 
stone, who  was  born  at  Dundee,  Scotland,  in  1733. 
and  died  in  Chowan  County  in  1816,  after  a  most 
honorable  career.  As  an  evidence  of  his  worth,  I  beg 
to  refer  you  to  the  distinguished  positions  to  which 
he  was  elevated  during  his  long  and  honorable  ca- 
reer. He  was  one  of  the  clerks  of  the  Superior 
Courts  before  the  Kevolution  ;  speaker  of  the  Pro- 
visional Congress  of  his  State  ;  member  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  ;  Governor  of  North  Carolina  ;. 
president  of  the  convention  to  consider  the  Con- 
stitution ;  Senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  Unitect 
States,  and  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  North? 
Carolina.  Wheeler  says  that  ''he  was  mentally 
and  physically  every  inch  a  man.  His  intellect 
was  of  the  highest  order,  cultivated  by  learning  and 
experience.  His  person  was  imposing,  of  a  large 
and  powerful  frame,  erect  and  stately  in  his  car- 
riage and  of  iron  will.  He  joined  the  graces  of  a 
scholar  with  the  wisdom  of  the  statesman."  He- 
belonged  to  the  junior  or  cadet  branch  of  the  family 
of  Annandale  in  the  Peerage  of  Scotland,  and  he 
was  undoubtedly  the  rightful  heir  to  the  title  and  es- 
tates which  appertain  to  that  house.  His  father 
brought  with  him  the  materials  for  the  construe- 


208  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIEXCES 


4 


tion  of  the  house  at  Hayes,  with  his  family  plate, 
pictures  and  heirlooms,  and  having  erected  a  mag- 
nificent mansion,  surrounded  it  with  choice  shrub- 
bery, elaborate  gardens,  a  spacious  park,  and  all 
the  attractions  that  taste  could  suggest,  left  it 
as  a  legacy  to  his  children. 

His  son,  James  Cathcart,  inherited  his  talents, 
tastes,  and  character,  but  not  his  ambition  nor  his 
love  for  public  life.  On  the  contrary^  he  was 
singularly  retiring  in  his  disposition,  and  for  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
management  of  his  estates,  to  the  gratification  of 
his  taste  for  reading,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  so- 
•ciety  of  a  few  chosen  friends.  Having  been  disap- 
pointed in  an  early  love  affair,  he  never  married, 
and  lived  almost  the  life  of  a  recluse,  dividing  his 
time  between  his  farms  in  Chowan,  Pasquotank, 
and  Halifax.  He  was  originally  a  man  of  aristo- 
cratic appearance,  of  dignified  bearing,  and  of 
great  rectitude  of  character.  Being  much  grieved 
-by  the  death  of  his  two  maiden  sisters  and  depressed 
by  ill-health,  he  manifested  in  his  later  years  symp- 
toms of  insanity  ;  and  my  father  and  I,  who  were 
his  regular  medical  attendants,  seriously  thought 
at  various  times  of  placing  him  in  an  asylum. 
As-  these  attacks  were  not  as  a  general  rule  of  a 
violent  character — the  exceptions  being  two  at- 
tempts at  self-destruction  and  one  at  murder — and 
were  followed  by  long  intervals  of  lucidity,  we 
failed  to  proceed  to  extremities  and  left  him  to  the 
<;are  of  his  relations  and  attendants  under  his  own 
roof.  Many  an  anxious  hour  have  I  spent  in  his 
■chamber,  listening  to  his  ravings  respecting  the 
^'unpardonable  sin"  which  he  had  committed,  the 
^'evil  spirits"  by  which  he  was  pursued,  the  '-poor- 
house"  in  which  he  was  to  spend  his  latter  days, 
and  the  thousand  illusions  which  crowded  his  dis- 


IX    THREE    CONTINENTS.  209 

ordered  brain.  And  yet,  after  having  spent  weeks 
in  a  state  of  wild  delirium  and  of  constant  insomnia, 
I  have  seen  him  suddenly  return  to  reason,  and 
resume  his  wonted  dignity  of  manner,  lucidity  of 
intellect,  ease  of  conversation,  and  placidity  of  coun- 
tenance, just  as  if  nothingunusual  had  occurred.  As 
the  secret  of  his  insanity  was  carefully  guarded  by 
those  around  him,  and  as  he  was  seen  by  the  pub- 
lic— including  those  who  regarded  themselves  as 
his  intimate  friends — onh"  when  he  was  in  his 
risrht  mind,  the  communitv  received  with  in- 
credulity  the  story  of  his  insanity  when  it  eventu- 
ally became  necessary  to  proclaim  it.  But  of  tliis 
anon. 

The  rector  of  old  St.  Paul's,  at  Edenton,  the 
Eev.  Samuel  Iredell  Johnstone,  was  the  most  es- 
teemed of  his  relations  and  the  most  cherished  of 
his  friends.  That  gentleman  was  the  son  of  John 
Johnstone,  the  Surveyor-General  of  K'orth  Caro- 
lina in  colonial  days,  and  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate  afterward.  He  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill 
in  the  class  of  1826,  studied  law,  and  subsequently 
abandoned  that  profession  to  enter  the  ministry  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  noted 
for  the  force  of  his  logic  and  the  fervor  of  his  elo- 
quence, while  out  of  it  he  was  distinguished  for 
bis  zeal  and  consistency  as  a  Christian,  and  for  his 
loyalty,  honesty  and  guilelessness  as  a  man. 

He  was  in  all  respects  a  model  pastor,  illustrat- 
ing alike  by  precept  and  example  the  truth,  beauty 
and  excellence  of  the  faith  which  he  professed,  de- 
voting himself  with  unfaltering  fidelity  to  the  wel- 
fare of  his  flock,  and  leading  a  life  of  perfect  holi- 
ness and  sanctity. 

He  was  emphatically  the  friend  of  the  poor  and 
the  suffering,  visiting  them,  ministering  to   them, 
and  lavishing  his  sympathy  and  means  upon  them 
14 


210  A  doctor's  experiences 

as  if  they  were  allied  to  him  by  the  ties  of  blood. 
He  was,  in  truth,  the  very  impersonation  of  every 
vii-tue  that  gives  beauty  and  dignity  to  the  human 
character,  and  he  was  worshiped  as  a  saint — a» 
something  above  and  beyond  common  humanity- 
by  all  w^ho  knew  him,  and  especially  by  the  church 
which  he  so  honored  by  the  purity  of  his  life  and 
the  brilliancy  of  his  ministry. 

His  death  Avas  regarded  as  a  jDublic  calamity  by 
those  among  whom  he  had  lived  and  ministered, 
and  though  some  of  those  upon  whom  he  had  lav- 
ished kindnesses  turned  upon  him  in  the  day  of 
his  adversity,  not  an  eye  refused  its  tears  nor  a 
heart  >its  sympathy  as  his  remains  were  borne  to 
the  old  family  graveyard  at  Hayes  to  be  deposited 
amid  the  ashes  of  his  honored  ancestors.  Despite 
the  promptings  of  self-interest,  every  man  in  th# 
community  realized  that  day  that  he  had  lost  a 
friend,   a  brother  and  a  benefactor. 

He  married  Margaret,  the   second   daughter   of 
George  Burgw^yn,  of  "The  Hermitage,"   in  New 
Hanover   County,  and  the  niece  of  Judge   Nashy 
the  Chief- Justice  of  North  Carolina,  by  whom  he, 
had  a  large  family  of  children.     Of  these,  James, 
the  eldest — and  the  rightful  heir  of  the  Earldom  of 
Annandale — was  adopted  by  Mr.   James  C.  John- 
stone at  an  early  age,   and   was    educated    as   the 
prospective   heir   of  the   principal    portion    of  hi^ 
property.     He  married  my  second  sister,  Kate  Har- 
ris, and  resided  for  many   years   at  Hayes,   which 
Mr.  James  Johnstone  abandoned  to   them,  remov- 
ing to  his  seat  in  Pasquotank  County. 

Mr.  Samuel  Johnstone's  second  daughter,  Eliza- 
beth Cotton,  w^as  just  budding  into  womanhood,, 
and  by  common  consent  she  was  recognized  as  the 
beauty  and  the  belle  of  iheit  section.  Tall,  slender, 
and  graceful,  with  eyes  as  dark  as  the  night,  a 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  211 

profusion  of  curls  with  wliicli  the  sheen  of  the  morn- 
ing was  hlended,  and  a  face  softened  and  illumi- 
nated like  that  of  a  Madonna,  she  seemed  to  me 
the  perfection  of  loveliness.  And  when  I  found  her 
li.art  the  home  of  every  kind  and  tender  and  gen- 
erous sentimentj  and  her  mind  as  clear  as  the  cur- 
rent of  some  mountain  stream  and  as  bright  as  the 
star  of  the  evening,  my  admiration  transformed  itself 
into  worship,  and  that  became  idolatry.  I  loved  her 
with  all  the  fervor  of  which  my  nature  was  capable — ■ 
with  the  strongest,  truest,  deepest  passion  that  my 
soul  could  formulate — and  compared  with  which 
all  that  I  had  ever  experienced  was  as  a  dew-drop 
to  the  ocean,  as  a  child's  whisper  to  the  tornado's 
breath.  But  how  to  woo  her  was  the  question.  I 
was  many  years  her  senior,  and  as^  compared  with 
the  young  men  who  surrounded  her,  a  veritable 
patriarch.  My  prospects  therefore  seemed  desper- 
ate in  the  premises — sufficiently  so  certainly  to 
have  discouraged  a  majority  of  men,  but  the  very 
desperation  of  the  situation  served  to  inspire  me 
with  a  deeper  love  and  a  stronger  purpose.  Intel- 
lect, will,  energy,  and  every  faculty  which  entered 
into  my  being  seemed  to  develop,  expand,  and 
strengthen  under  the  influence  of  the  intense  pas- 
sion which,  possessed  me,  and  I  entered  the  field 
resolved  on  victory,  without  regard  to  difficulties 
and  in  defiance  of  fate  itself.  I  soon  made  it  pa- 
tent to  my  mocking  rivals  that  an  earnest  man  un- 
der the  spell  of  the  grand  passion  and  the  domina- 
tion of  an  imperious  will  is  an  adversary  such  as 
none  can  afford  to  despise.  I  attacked  the  dear 
girl's  heart  with  such,  desperate  vigor  as  to 
convince  her  that  she  had,  indeed,  a  serious  lover 
to  deal  with,  and  to  induce  her  to  make  an  attempt 
to  restrain  my  feelings  and  to  save  me  from  their 
consequences  by  the  confession  of  her  engagement 


212  A  doctor's  experiexces 

to  anotlier.  And  yet,  in  the  very  consicleratenes> 
of  this  avowal,  and  in  the  tearful  eyes  and  tht 
trembling  accents  with  which  it  was  made,  I  dis- 
cerned, or  believed  I  did,  a  glimmer  of  regret — a 
flicker  of  sympathy — which  was  to  my  heart  what 
the  blazing  fire  is  to  the  wanderer  amid  the  Arctic 
snows,  and  the  cooling  spring  to  the  traveler  in  the 
desert  sands. 

Instead  of  restraining  me^  it  only  developed  a 
fresher  courage  and  a  more  desperate  energy.  So  far 
from  '^saving  me  from  myself,"  it  but  bound  my  soul 
with  stronger  fetters,  and  consigned  it  to  a  more 
hopeless  servitude.  Though  thus  forbidden  to 
speak  of  love  and  to  plead  my  cause,  my  passion 
found  utterance  in  my  ever}^  tone  and  look  and 
gesture,  and  s23oke  for  itself  in  the  consecration  of 
my  life  to  this  single  aim  and  aspiration.  Finally 
my  lady  love's  fiance,  whose  military  duties  had 
hitherto  confined  him  to  the  plains,  suddenly  ap- 
peared upon  the  scene,  having  come  to  settle  upon 
the  wedding  day.  He  had  naturally  expected  to 
have  a  good  time  in  Edenton,  never  dreaming  of 
finding  a  lion  in  his  path,  or  that  the  field  was 
aught  else  than  his  exclusive  property. 

It  so  happened  that  I  was  out  w^alking  with  her 
when  she  received  the  intelligence  of  his  arrival, 
and  I  saw  that  she  blanched,  reeled,  and  came  near 
fainting  in  my  arms.  Thus  inspired  by  her  pale 
cheeks  and  tearful  eyes  and  trembling  frame,  I 
opened  the  flood  gates  of  my  soul  and  told  her  of 
my  great  love,  my  supreme  devotion,  my  wild 
idolatry,  and  implored  her  as  she  valued  her  own 
happiness,  and  would  save  me  from  utter  misery, 
to  break  her  engagement  with  him  and  to  become 
my  wife.  Her  only  answer,  as  we  walked  along, 
was  a  flood  of  tears,  and  a  succession  of  tremors, 
which  shook  her  frame  as  the  whirlwind  shakes  the 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  213 

aspen  ;  but  when  I  left  her  at  her  father's  door 
she  said  in  accents  which  to  my  ears  were  sweeter 
than  the  songs  of  the  angels  :  "  Visit  me  as  usual/' 
I  took  her  at  her  word,  and  not  only  visited  her 
'-  as  usual,"  but  every  day  while  my  rival  remained 
in  Edenton,  rendering  him  perfectly  mad  with 
jealousy.  I  had  already  made  an  engagement  to 
ride  with  her  on  the  succeeding  day^  and  at  the 
hour  designated  I  was  at  her  father's  house  ready 
for  \X\^  promenade  a  cheval. 

She  was  a  splendid  horsewoman,  but  hardly  was 
she  in  the  saddle  before  the  horse,  taking  the  bit 
in  his  teeth,  started  oflP  at  a  fearful  speed.  My  first 
thought  was  to  swoop  by  and  rescue  her  by  encir- 
cling her  with  my  right  arm  and  lifting  her  from 
her  seat,  but  I  soon  found  that  her  horse  was 
fleeter  than  mine,  and  that  I  could  not  overtake 
her,  though  whip  and  spur  were  used  unmercifully. 
God  alone  will  ever  know  the  agony  of  my  heart 
as  I  saw  her  borne  away  while  I  was  powerless  to 
assist  her,  and  either  severe  injury  or  instant  death 
seemed  inevitable.  Suddenly  a  manly  form  dashed 
from  the  side-walk,  and  a  strong  arm  seized  the 
bridle  and  threw  the  horse  back  upon  his  haunches 
while  she  sprang  lithely  and  unhurt  to  the  ground, 
her  face  radiant  with  smiles  of  gratitude  to  her 
gallant  rescuer,  who  proved  to  be  her  suitor  and  my 
rival.  In  the  excitement  of  the  moment  I  sprang 
from  my  horse,  threw  my  arms  around  his  neck 
and  overwhelmed  him  with  thanks  and  congratu- 
lations. 

As  she  was  unhurt  and  undaunted,  we  exchanged 
horses  and  rode  quietly  back  to  her  father's  house, 
before  which  the  whole  family — including  the  in- 
dignant lover — was  assembled  in  a  state  of  intense 
excitement  and  anxiety.  Somehow,  perhaps  under 
the   tuition  of  the  fiance,  they  seemed  inclined  to 


214  A  doctor's  experiej^ces 

hold  me  responsible  for  the  contretem^js ,  and  the} 
scowls  with  which  they  greeted  me  went  like  dag-; 
gers  through  my  heart.  Perceiving  the  unkindnesf; 
of  their  reception  and  the  hot  flush  which  had  con-; 
sequently  mantled  my  cheeks,  she  broke  out  in 
a  ringing  laugh,  and  said:  '^Oh,  I  am  not  hurt 
a  bit,  and  the  Doctor  and  I  intend  to  take  a  dinve 
after  all,  for  I  can't  stay  indoors  on  such  a  beauti- 
ful'afternoon/"'  Taking  the  hint,  and  feeling  that 
her  purpose  was  to  defend  me  by  thus  showing  her 
confidence,  I  dashed  off,  and  returned  in  a  short 
time  with  my  buggy  and  team,  and  despite  pater- 
nal protests  and  the  angry  looks  of  the  lover,  we 
had  the  most  delightful  drive  that  can  be  conceived 
of — though  she  did  place  an  embargo  on  my  lips 
as  regards  the  subject  nearest  to  my  heart. 

Of  course,  I  knew  nothing  of  what  was  going  on 
between  the  twain  at  the  time,  though  I  could 
plainly  perceive  that  he  was  not  happy  and  that 
matters  did  not  progress  as  he  had  hoped  and  ex- 
pected. Fortunately  for  me  his  leave  was  brief, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  a  week — which  seemed  an 
age  when  counted  by  my  heart  throbs  and  appre- 
hensions— he  took  his  departure  and  I  was  again 
master  of  the  situation.  Poor  fellow  !  He  was 
wounded  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  in  the  battle 
of  Sharpsburg,  and  came  to  Raleigh  to  die  in  the 
arms  of  a  doting  wife,  lamented  by  all  who  knew 
him,  but  by  no  one  more  than  the  fair  cousm  whom 
he  had  loved  so  dearly  in  his  younger  days.  As 
we  stood  together  over  his  open  grave  and  saw  his 
remains  lowered  to  their  final  resting-place,  our 
minds  naturally  traveled  over  the  long  road  that 
led  back  to  the  scenes  which  I  have  just  recounted, 
and  as  we  thought  of  them  and  of  all  the  strange 
events  which  we  had  subsequently  encountered  to- 
gether, though  we  did   not  love  him  the  less,  we 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  215 

loved  each  other  the  more,  and  thanked  Grod  for 
;  the  choice  which  we  had  made  and  for  the  blessed 
>  privilege  of  making  it. 

On  the  day  after  his  departure  I  sought  an  in- 
terview, and  pleaded  long  and  earnestly  for  a 
i  favorable  answer,  but  all  in  vain.  "  I  shall  never 
I  marry,  Dr.  Warren,  and  this  must  end,"  were  the 
decisive  words  which  sealed  my  fate  for  the  time 
being  and  made  me  the  most  miserable  of  men. 
^'  You  must  marry  me  and  this  cannot  end,"  was 
the  only  language  that  I  could  find  with  which  to 
give  expression  to  my  feelings  as  I  took  my  de- 
parture, greatly  pained  but  more  resolute  of  purpose 
than  ever.  Shortly  afterward  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Warren 
gave  a  magnificent  ball,  which  I  attended,  with  the 
firm  determination  not  to  approach  her,  and  to  de- 
vote myself  to  souie  other  woman,  hoping  to  excite 
her  jealousy  and  thus  to  further  my  aims.  The  mo- 
ment, however,  that  she  entered  the  room,  radiant 
as  she  was  in  her  matchless  beauty,  I  forgot  my 
purpose,  and  breaking  through  the  throng  of  young 
men  which  surrounded  her,  I  insisted  upon  the 
privilege  of  dancing  with  her  before  she  had  had 
time  to  make  another  engagement.  She  accepted 
this  proposition,  and  another  for  the  succeeding 
set,  and  then  another  for  a  "  walk  on  the  piazza," 
listening  all  the  time,  and  not  unkindly,  as  I  ridi- 
•culed  her  resistance  to  the  inevitable,  assured  her 
of  my  fixed  purpose  to  make  her  mine,  and  whis- 
pered the  story  of  my  love  into  her  ears  without 
«tint  or  interruption.  This  was  one  of  the  happi- 
est occasions  of  my  life,  for  it  was  spent  in  her 
society,  and  it  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  re- 
lations between  us  which  permitted  me  to  plead 
my  cause  at  discretion,  without  going  into  a  formal 
courtship  or  making  a  definite  issue.  And  so 
things  continued   for    several  weeks,  the   barriers 


216  A  doctor's  experiences 

separating  our  souls  breaking  down  with  each  suc- 
ceeding day  ;  a  reciprocal  interest  and  dependence, 
gradually  developing  between  us,  and  the  cloudsj 
which  had  darkened  the  sky  above  us  disappearing^ 
slowly,  it  might  be,  but  sufficiently  to  afforcl 
glimpses  of  the  heaven  beyond  them.  During  the 
whole  of  this  time  1  never  asked  a  question  con- 
cerning her  engagement,  but  treated  it  as  a  thing- 
of  the  past.  Finally,  having  grown  impatient  of 
delay,  and  resolved  to  bring  the  matter  to  an  issue, 
I  said  to  her  one  night,  "  I  have  a  proposition  to 
make  to  you.  You  have  rejected  me  many  times, 
and  you  will  have  to  do  so  many  more  if  things 
go  on  in  this  way,  and  you  are  really  in  earnest  in! 
declining  me — which  I  cannot  believe.  Suppose 
you  try  the  experiment  of  an  engagement  for  one 
week,  just  to  test  the  matter  and  to  see  whether 
you  would  like  it  or  not.  I  will  give  you  my  word 
as  a  gentleman  that  it  shall  be  kept  a  profound 
secret  and  that  I  will  release  you  at  the  end  of  the. 
time  without  feeling  that  you  have  compromised 
yourself  or  have  encouraged  m.e  in  the  least. 

Her  eyes  sparkled,  and  with  the  merriest  laugh 
imaginable  she  answered:  "Very  well.  But  oq. 
condition  that  you  will  not  see  me  during  the  week^ 
and  will  take  my  answer  at  the  end  of  that  time  as 
a  final  one." 

''All  right,"  said  I,  "  When  I  leave  this  house 
to-night  it  will  be  to  absent  myself  for  an  entire 
week  ;  and  I  will  take  your  answer  as  a  final  one 
at  the  expiration  of  that"  time  if  it  kills  me,  though 
I  shall  continue  to  love  you  with  all  the  fervor  of 
which  my  soul  is  capable  while  consciousness  re- 
mains." 

"Then,  good  night.  Dr.  Warren,  and  adieu 
until  next  Sunday  afternoon,  when  our  engage- 
ment will  have   ended  and  you  can  join  me  "after 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  2 IT 

church  to  hear  what  I  have  to  say.  I  shall  have 
at  least  one  week  of  repose,  with  no  houquets  to 
preserve  and  no  cards  of  thanks  to  write — at  least 
to  you." 

"  But  I  have  not  gone  yet,  and  we  are  actually 
engaged — I  mean  for  a  week?" 

''Yes,  actually  engaged — for  a  week.  How  do 
you  like  it  thus  far?" 

"  Like  it,  my  love,  my  darling,  it  is  Heaven  !" 
and  seizing  her  suddenly  in  my  arms,  I  planted  a 
dozen  burning  kisses  upon  her  virgin  lips. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir/'  she  cried,  as  she 
struggled  to  free  herself  from  my  embrace,  only  to 
be  held  more  tightly,  and  to  be  kissed  more  ardently 
than  before. 

"Mean,  my  love!  my  angel  ?  Are  we  not  en- 
gaged, and  is  not  this  one  of  'the  privileges  of  an 
engaged  man?" 

She  escaped  from  me  by  a  violent  effort,  burst 
into  hysterical  sobs,  and  flew  from  the  room,  while 
I  slipped  out  of  the  front  door  and  hurried  home, 
half  dead  between  excitement  at  what  had  occurred 
and  terror  for  the  consequences  of  my  temerity. 

For  the  entire  week  I  remained  in  a  state  of  the 
greatest  anxiety,  expecting  every  moment  to  receive 
either  a  hostile  message  from  her  brothers  or  a 
letter  of  denunciation  from  her  father,  or  a  note  of 
indignant  dismissal  from  herself,  and  yet  hoping  that 
my  presumption  might  be  pardoned  in  view  of  the 
desperate  strait  in  which  I  was  placed,  and  the  high 
stake  for  which  I  had  played. 

On  the  succeeding  Sunday  afternoon  I  joined  her 
at  the  church  door  and  walked  with  her  over  to 
Hayes,  and  along  the  shore  of  the  bay  until  we 
reached  a  secluded  spot  which,  with  its  grassy  sward 
and  overhanging  vines  and  perfume  of  jessamine, 
seemed  especially  constructed  for  such  a  tryst  as 


218  A  doctor's  experiences 

ours,  and  wliicli  will  live  in  memory  until  the  grass 
has  covered  my  grave. 

*'  For  there  was  I  first  truly  blessed, 
For  there  in  my  fond  arm  I  pressed, 
My  blushing  Genevieve." 

I  cannot  relate  the  incidents  of  that  interview, 
for  they  are  sacred,  but  will  only  say  that  a  revela- 
tion was  made  in  it  which  crowned  with  victory 
the  struggle  of  so  many  weeks  and  made  me  the 
proudest  and  the  happiest  of  men. 

Though  my  desperate  venture  had  amazed  and 
startled  her  immeasurably,  it  had  awakened  her  to 
the  consciousness  that  her  heart  in  its  every  atom 
and  pulsation  was  mine — absolutely  and  exclusively 
mine.  She  had  promptly  rejected  her  lover,  but  he 
had  exacted  a  promise  that  she  would  engage  her- 
self to  no  one  for  a  year,  and,  restrained  by  a  sense 
of  that  obligation,  she  was  in  a  maze  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty,  from  which  nothing  could  have  ex- 
tracted her  save  the  decisive  measure  which  my 
desperation  had  inspired  as  a  crucial  test  of  her 
feelings  and  a  final  means  of  deciding  my  destiny. 

We  were  married  on  the  16th  of  November,  1857, 
in  old  St.  Paul's,  surrounded  by  loving  relations 
and  admiring  friends,  and  with  hearts  aglow  with 
love  and  replete  with  happiness  we  set  out  upon 
the  voyage  of  live,  dreaming  only  of  sunny  skies 
and  favoring  breezes.  How  that  dream  was  realized 
the  succeeding  pages  of  these  memoirs  will  disclose, 
for  henceforth  they  become  the  record  of  our  com- 
mingled lives — the  history  of  two  existences 
molded  into  one  by  the  plastic  power  of  reciprocal 
affection  and  a  common  destiny. 

After  a  brief  visit  to  relatives  in  Virginia  and 
to  friends  in  New  York — where,  by  the  way,  we 
met  the  aforsaid  lover  on  his  wedding  trip — we  re- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  219 

turned  to  Carolina  and  took  up  our  residence  at 
Albania,  a  beautiful  estate  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Edenton.  On  the  day  previous  to  our  marriage 
J  had  been  summoned  to  Hayes,  and  had  received 
from  Mr.  Johnstone  deeds  for  Albania  and  a  num- 
ber of  servants — including  his  best  cook — and  a 
considerable  sum  of  money,  with  the  assurance 
that  his  gift  to  my  intended  wife  would  be  found 
in  his  will,  and  that  it  was  a  handsome  one. 


220  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XIV. 

THE  WILL  CASE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  promised  gift  never  came  for  reasons  which 
I  will  proceed  to  explain,  although  the  relation  of 
the  story  fires  my  blood  even  at  this  distant   day. 

Mr.  Johnstone,  it  is  true,  regarded  secession  as  a 
crime,  but  it  was  from  a  personal  standpoint  alone. 
Always  morbidly  apprehensive  of  the  '^poor-house," 
lie  saw  in  the  contest  between  the  sections  certain 
pecuniary  ruin  for  himself.  There  developed  there- 
fore from  this  morbid  apprehension  of  poverty  an 
uncompromising  hatred  of  all  who  had  precipitated 
the  war,  and  who  were  taking  part  in  it.  In  this 
way  he  became  alienated  from  his  friends  and  fam- 
ily connections,  for  though  none  of  us  were  ^^  ori- 
ginal secessionists,"  we  had  entered  the  service 
ot^the  Confederacy  so  soon  as  North  Carolinajoined 
her  fortunes  with  it  and  called  her  sons  to  arms. 
He  even  permitted  himself  to  hate  his  dearly  loved 
friend  and  relative,  the  rector,  because  several  of 
his  sons  had  volunteered,  and  he  had  sought  ref- 
uge under  the  roof  of  one  of  them  at  Chapel  Hill. 
Under  the  influence  of  these  feelings,  his  already 
diseased  brain  lost  its  equilibrium,  and  insanity 
manifested  itself  under  the  guise  of  a  monomania 
of  furious  hatred  of  his  family.  James,  his  adopted 
son,  who  was  living  at  Hayes,  where  Mr.  John- 
stone had  sought  refuge  after  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war,  and  devotinor  himself  with  unfalterino;  as- 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  221 

sicluity  to  the  care  of  the  old  man,  endeavored  to 
pacify  and  restrain  him,  but  only  with  the  result 
of  falling  equally  under  the  ban  of  his  displeasure, 
as  the  sequel  only  too  cruelly  demonstrated. 

Concealing  his  sentiments  and  purposes  with 
that  refinement  of  cunning  which  so  often  charac- 
terizes the  insane,  he  invited  my  sister  to  the  li- 
brary, and,  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  proposed 
a  visit  to  her  father  at  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  upon 
the  grounds  of  her  delicate  health,  and'  of  her 
long  separation  from  her  family.  Suspecting  no 
evil  design,  as  their  relations  had  always  been 
most  cordial  and  confidential,  the  poor  girl  thanked 
him  kindly  for  his  solicitude,  and  accepted  his 
seemingly  considerate  suggestion.  It  was  there- 
fore arranged  that  slie  and  her  children  should  set 
out  on  the  succeeding  day  for  the  nearest  ferry  on 
the  Chowan,  accompanied  by  her  husband,  who 
was  to  return  after  having  crossed  the  river  with 
his  family. 

Mr.  Johnstone  helped  the  mother  and  her  little 
flock  into  the  carriage,  kissed  each  one  most  affec- 
tionately, begged  them  to  return  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, and  remained  upon  the  portico  waving  his 
handkerchief  after  them  until  they  were  out  of 
sight.  In  an  hour  afterward  he  ordered  the  farm 
wagons  to  be  brought  to  the  house,  had  all  of  their 
effects  placed  in  them,  hauled  over  to  Edenton,  and 
pitched  pell-mell  into  the  street  before  the  door  of 
my  father's  unoccupied  house.  At  the  same  time 
he  dispatched  a  messenger  with  a  note  for  James, 
in  which  he  disinherited  the  young  man — the 
adopted  son  whom  he  had  raised  so  tenderly,  and 
professed  to  love  so  well — and  declared  that  neither 
he  nor  his  wife  nor  their  children  should  cross  his 
(Mr.  Johnstone's)  threshold  again.  He  then  sent 
to  Raleigh  and  had  removed  from  the  vault  of  the 


222  A  doctor's  experiences 

bank  there  the  will  which  he  had  previously  made 
in  favor  of  his  relatives,  and  destroyed  it  with 
great  parade  of  exultation. 

James  immediately  returned  to  Hayes,  hut  was 
refused  admittance.  Mr.  Samuel  Johnstone  sub- 
sequently came  to  Edenton  and  sought  an  inter- 
view, only  to  be  treated  with  such  indignity  as  to  ^ 
send  him  in  sorrow  to  his  grave.  My  wife,  who 
had  been  from  childhood  the  object  of  his  special 
love  and  admiration,  sent  him  a  kind  message,  to 
which  he  returned  no  answer.  In  a  word,  without 
the  semblance  of  an  excuse  or  the  shadow  of  a  justi- 
fication, he  persistently  turned  his  back  upon  all 
who  were  allied  to  him  by  ties  of  blood,  and  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days  in  reviling  them  and  in 
concocting  a  scheme  for  their  humiliation  and  ruin. 

He  then  appeared  in  an  entirely  new  roZe,  mani- 
festing a  complete  revolution  in  his  sentiments  and 
deportment.  He  had  been  the  most  exclusive  of 
men,  selecting  his  associates  from  the  highest  ranks- 
of  society,  and  manifesting  a  specially  dignified 
and  reserved  manner.  He  now  sought  the  associa- 
tion of  individuals  beneath  him  in  birth,  educa- 
tion, and  position,  and  treated  them  as  boon  com- 
panions and  intimate  friends. 

He  had  plumed  himself  upon  his  own  integrity, 
and  his  ostracism  of  dishonest  and  unscrupulous 
men.  He  made  it  a  point  to  take  into  his  confi- 
dence, and  to  treat  with  marked  consideration, 
various  persons  for  whose  conduct  and  character  he 
had  expressed  disapprobation  during  his  entire 
life.  He  had  manifested  infinite  respect  for  reli- 
gion and  a  sincere  attachment  to  the  church.  He 
became  an  open  blasphemer,  ostentatiously  proclaim- 
ing his  disbelief,  and  bitterly  denouncing  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel  and  all  who  professed  a  respect 
for  them.     He  had  been  distinguished  for  the  dig- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  223 

nity.  of  his  bearing,  the  modesty  of  his  deportment^ 
the  elegance  of  his  dress  and  the  refinement  of 
his  language.  He  gi'ew  familiar,  demonstrative 
and  slovenly,  while  his  conversation  assumed  a 
tone  of  positive  vulgarity — coarse  oaths  and  low 
slang  constituting  its  essential  elements.  For  the 
house  which  his  father  had  built,  under  wliose  roof 
he  had  been  born  and  reared,  and  in  whose  cham- 
bers his  sisters  had  lived  and  died,  he  had  ever  ex- 
hibited a  marked  veneration .  He  made  it  the  home  of  a 
promiscuous  hospitality,  and  the  rendezvous  of  sub- 
ordinates and  inferiors.  Apartments  which  had 
been  hallowed  in  his  eyes  by  their  associations  with 
those  whom  he  honored  and  loved,  and  which  had 
been  studiously  closed  for  years,  were  thrown  open 
to  hirelings  and  overseers  ;  heirlooms  which  had 
been  guarded  with  scrupulous  vigilance  were  lav- 
ished upon  the  "  poor  trash"  which  ministered  to 
his  prejudices ;  family  jewels  which  had  been 
treasured  with  the  fondest  love  and  the  greatest 
sacredness  were  distributed  among  his  newly-chosen 
favorites  ;  and  a  table  which  had  been  honored  by 
the  presence  of  governors,  senators,  judges,  bish- 
ops, professors,  rninisters,  and  others  of  pure  blood 
or  good  breeding  or  high  position — the  representa- 
tives of  the  family  or  its  friends  and*  associates — 
was  daily  prostituted  to  the  entertainment  of  negro 
drivers,  tenants  of  the  dependent  farms,  employes 
about  the  premises,  loafers  from  the  adjacent  town, 
and  the  canaille  of  the  neiodiborhood  in  o;eneral — 
neither  washed  hands  nor  shodden  feet  nor  clean 
shirts  nor  coats  of  any  description  being  de  rig- 
ueur.  In  a  word,  during  the  remainder  of  his  days 
the  change  in  his  ideas,  habits,  feelings  and  senti- 
ments was  as  radical  as  the  motive  which  he  gave 
for  his  aversion  to  his  relatives  was  groundless, 
insufficient  and  absurd. 


224  A  doctor's  experiences 

.  He  died  in  I860,  and  by  his  will  he  bequeathed 
his  property  principally  to  three  persons,  not  one 
of  whom  was  allied  to  him  b}^  the  ties  of  blood  or 
had  the  slightest  claim  upon  his  sentiments  of 
gratitude  or  his  sense  of  obligation. 

Though  we  were  impoverished  by  the  war,  and 
but  the  representatives  of  prestige  and  tradition,' 
while  our  adversaries  had  already  been  made  rich 
by  his  bounty,  we  determined  to  contest  the  will  at 
all  hazards  and  at  any  sacrifice. 

The  trial  came  off  in  the  winter  of  1866,  and  it 
proved  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  exciting 
that  had  ever  occurred  in  Carolina.  The  family 
was  represented  by  Graham,  Bragg,  Vance,  Hin^ 
ton,  and  W.  A.  Moore,  and  the  legatees  by  B.  F, 
Moore,  Poole,  Heathy  and  Winston,  all  men  of 
great  ability,  learning,  and  experience,  and  from 
what  I  have  learned — for  I  was  not  present — it  was 
veritably  a  warfare  of  giants. 

It  was  incontestably  established  that  Mr.  John- 
stone had  for  many  years  been  subject  to  fits  of 
positive  mania,  which  had  become  more  frequent 
and  prolonged  with  his  advancing  age  ;  that  he 
had  twice  tried  to  take  his  own  life,  had  once  at- 
tempted to  commit  murder  ;  that  he  had  repeatedly 
been  found  wandering  about  the  plantation  without 
shoes,  and  clothed  only  in  his  shirt  ;  that  imme- 
diately preceding  the  making  of  his  will,  and 
afterward,  there  had  appeared  a  complete  revolu- 
tion in  his  feelings,  tastes,  habits,  and  ideas,  and 
that  the  motive  upon  which  his  conduct  to  his  rela- 
tives was  based — their  alleged  desertion  of  him  on 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war — was  absolutely  false 
and  fallacious,  such  as  could  not  have  been  accepted 
as  an  incentive  to  action  by  a  ''  sound  and  dispos- 
ing mind." 

As  regards  this  great  question  of  motive,  I  must 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  225 

pause  to  tell  you  that  it  was  proved  beyond  perad- 
venture  that  his  relatives  did  not  desert  him,  but 
remained  with  him  until  he  requested  or  forced 
them  to  leave  ;  that  they  did  not  neglect  him  in 
any  sense  or  to  the  slightest  extent,  inasmuch  as 
James  Johnstone  and  his  wife  nursed  him  and  min- 
istered to  him  to  the  fullest  extent  of  human  capa- 
bility so  long  as  he  permitted  them  to  do  so  ;  that 
my  wife  had  only  just  offered  him  an  asylum  un- 
der my  roof,  which  he  had  gratefully  accepted  ;  that 
they  were  not  secessionists,  for  James  continued  an 
unflinching  Union  man  during  the  war,  wdiile  the 
others  were  originally  Whigs,  and  only  entered 
.the  Confederate  service  after  the  issue  had  been 
made,  and  to  avert  the  very  calamities  which  Mr. 
Johnstone  apprehended. 

Dr.  William  A.  Hammond,  the  learned  alienist, 
was  present  at  the  trial,  and  after  having  heard 
the  evidence  declared  that  the  will  was  not  the  off- 
spring of  that  union  of  intelligence  and  volition  wdiich 
constitutes  sanity,  but  was  the  progeny  of  a  veritable 
monomania  which  had  its  origin  in  a  delusion,  and 
was  a  phase  of  insanity  of  the  most  palpable  and 
decided  character. 

And  yet,  strange  to  relate,  the  verdict  was  un- 
favorable to  us,  and  its  record  was  permitted  though 
it  was  manifestly  against  the  evidence,  and  it  con- 
signed to  ruin  and  dependence  those  who  were 
bound  to  him  by  ties  of  blood,  and  of  a  life-long 
friendship,  and  elevated  to  wealth  and  position  three 
persons  who  were  not  connected  with  him,  and  who 
had  no  claims  upon  his  bounty. 

Independent  of  the  pecuniary  injury  which  this 
judgment  entailed  upon  the  rector's  family,  the 
moral  effect  was  overwhelming.  They  had.  been 
reared  to  regard  Hayes  with  peculiar  pride  and  af- 
fection— to  love  it  as  the  home  of  their  ancestors 
15 


226  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  the  scene  of  the  happiest  memories  of  their 
childhood — and  when  they  saw  it  adjudged  to 
strangers,  and  its  treasures  of  family  plate  and 
pictures  and  heirlooms  surrendered  to  alien  hands, 
their  hearts  we>'e  rifted  to  the  core,  and  turning 
their  faces  toward  distant  lands,  they  left  the  final 
judgment  to  Him  whom  their  father  had  taught 
them  to  trust  as  a  God  of  eternal  truth  and  of 
never-failing  justice. 

As  the  principal  actors  in  this  drama  have  long 
since  been  judged  by  the  highest  of  tribunals — for 
two  of  the  three  legatees  soon  followed  their  bene- 
factor to  the  grave — and  as  I  do  not  wish  to  rake 
up  unnecessarily  the  ashes  of  the  past,  I  shall  in- 
dulge in  no  harsh  criticism  of  their  conduct,  but,, 
in  view  of  the  poverty  and  the  suffering  entailed 
upon  those  who  are  dear  to  me,  I  could  not  feel 
kindly  toward  them  if  my  soul  were  the  forfeit. 
Save  for  a  few  months  immediately  after  the  war, 
when  everything  was  swept  away^  and  those  with 
whom  my  lot  was  cast  had  naught  but  sympathy 
to  give  me,  my  own  family  has  never  realized  that 
they  had  missed  the  fortune  which  Avas  so  right- 
fully theirs.  But  there  are  others  of  my  connec- 
tion and  of  my  blood  upon  whom  this  blow  fell' 
with  the  blighting  and  crushing  imj)etus  of  the 
lightning's  flash. 

In  an  obscure  county  in  Texas,  opj^ressed  by  the- 
burden  of  a  dependent  family,  fettered  by  the  mis- 
fortune of  delicate  health,  and  crippled  by  the  want. 
of  early  training  in  manual  labor,  there  exists  a 
prematurely  old  man,  striving  to  gain  a  living  for 
those  who  are  dear  to  him  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Were  justice  done 
him  his  name  would  be  recorded  to-day  on  the  rolls- 
of  the  Peers  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  he  would 
return  to  the  old  house  at   Hayes  as   its   honored 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  22T 

master  and  the  rightful  owner  of  the  broad  acres- 
which  surround  it,  while  his  wife  and  daughters 
woukl  resume  that  position  in  society  for  which 
their  birth,  their  beauty  and  their  virtues  so  pre- 
eminently fit  them. 

Sorrow  and  suffering  have  no  depths  which  he 
and  those  dependent  upon  him  have  not  fathomed 
since  that  day,  when  without  provocation  on  his 
part  or  warning  from  his  insane  relative,  he  was 
ruthlessly  banished  from  the  home  of  his  ancestors,, 
and  left  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  single-handed, 
penniless,  having  no  profession  to  fall  back  upon,, 
and  with  a  family  of  little  ones  pulling  at  his  heart-- 
strings.  You  cannot  wonder,  therefore^  if  my 
heart  is  incapable  of  wearing  a  mantle  of  charitjr 
broad  enough  to  embrace  the  parties  who,  at  any^ 
rate,  profited  by  that  which  brought  destruction  ta- 
the  interests  and  disaster  to  the  lives  of  those  who  are- 
near  and  dear  to  me.  It  was  in  connection  with  the- 
contention  over  this  estate  that  I  first  saw  the  true- 
inwardness  of  human  nature — thati  received  my  ear- 
liest and  hardest  lesson  respecting  the  ingratitude 
and  treachery  of  mankind.  As  the  son  of  the 
leading  physician  of  the  place,  the  husband  of  its 
handsomest  and  supposedly  richest  woman,  the 
Surgeon-General  of  the  State,  and  the  confidential 
friend  of  the  Governor,  my  visits  to  Edenton  had 
been  veritable  ovations  ;  and  I  had  flattered  myself 
that  I  had  not  an  enemy  among  its  inhabitants, 
but  that  each  was  a  friend  upon  whom  I  could  rely 
for  his  money  or  his  blood.  No  sooner  had  the 
will  been  read  when  I  made  the  discovery,  that  in 
the  day  of  adversity  human  friendship  fades  as  the 
flowers  wither  beneath  the  blight  of  the  early  frost. 
I  found  that  the  legatees  were  the  heroes  of  the  hour^ 
while  we  had  scarcely  a  corporal's  guard  of  friends 
and  followers  ;  and  it  was  then,  as  I  have  already- 


"228  A  doctor's  experiences 

told  you,  that  the  poor  negroes  rallied  so  kindly 
around  us.  and  by  their  manifestations  of  sympathy 
;and  their  tokens  of  good  will  soothed  our  lacerated 
liearts  and  filled  them  with  undying  thankfulness. 

1  recall,  especially,  the  conduct  of  an  individual 
"whose  real  name  I  shall  supress  for  his  children's 
sake.  He  was  invariably  called  ''the  Colonel'' 
away  from  home  and  "Mr.  D.  F."  in  Edenton, 
where  he  was  better  known  and  estimated.  He 
•acquired  this  cognomen  because  of  a  circumstance 
to  which  I  was  a  witness.  There  lived  in  that  part 
of  the  country  a  Portugese,  named  Olivera,  who 
manifested  many  eccentricities  of  character,  and 
whose  English  was  simply  incomprehensible.  He 
was,  withal,  sharp-witted,  high-tempered,  and  al- 
ways ready  to  strike  back,  usually  getting  the  bet- 
>ter  of  every  controversy.  When  aroused,  with  his 
^flashing  eyes,  his  arching  brows,  his  blazing  cheeks, 
and  his  diminutive  but  martial  figure,  he  was  as 
'^'  good  as  a  circus"  to  look  at — from  a  distance. 

The  "Colonel,"  or  "Mr.  D.  F.,"  as  he  has  ever 
ri^iuce  been  called,  was  a  remarkable  specimen  of 
liumanity.  For  selling  goods  and  raising  early 
•^^egetables  nature  had  qualified  him  admirably,  but 
'there  she  had  drawn  a  line  of  demarcation  and  had 
remorselessly  left  him  to  the  solitude  of  these  ex- 
clusive talents.  He  did  not  begin  though  to  realize 
the  situation,  and  aspired  to  the  reputation  of  a 
^savant  iu  every  department  of  knowledge  as  well 
•■as  to  the  role  of  an  intime  with  all  persons  of  posi- 
tion. He  would  have  joined  issue  with  St.  Augus- 
tin  on  theology,  or  with  iEsculapius  on  medicine, 
•or  with  Newton  on  science,  or  with  Hoyle  on  whist, 
or  with  d'Orsay  od  fashion,  or  with  any  one  on  any 
•subject,  and  believed  that  he  had  given  each  a 
lesson  in  his  specialty.  He  affected  to  have  private 
^sources  of  information  in  res^ard  to  all  matters  of 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  229^ 

public  interest  and  to  know  the  secret  history  of 
every  man  discussed  or  circumstance  referred  to^ 
No  person  of  note  could  be  mentioned,  but  he  as- 
sumed to  be  his  special  friend  and  confidant,  and 
his  imaginary  correspondence' with  heads  of  depart- 
ments, commanding  generals,  leading  statesmen^ 
etc.,  would  have  filled  volumes.  With  all,  he  wa& 
the  vainest  and  the  most  touchy  of  men,  and  to- 
ridicule  him  or  to  disparage  him  or  turn  the  lau^di- 
on  him  was  to  make  him  an  enemy  for  life^ 
Obstinacy  was  also  a  leading  trait  in  his  character ,. 
and  he  adhered  to  his  statements  with  a  tenacity 
such  as  only  supreme  ignorance  combined  witk 
consummate' egotism  could  have  engendered. 

So  much  for  the  dramatis  personce  of  my  stor}^. 
One  day  he  was  standing  on  his  door-step — the 
stage  upon  which  he  usually  played  his  role  of  Sir 
Oracle — engaged  in  his  favorite  pastime  of  discuss- 
ing some  subject  about  which  he  knew  nothings 
when  old  Olivera  was  seen  coming  down  the  street 
smoking  his  short  pipe,  and  talking  to  himself  as-- 
was  his  wont.  ^' Here  comes  Olivera,"  exclaimed, 
the  "  Colonel."  "  Look  out  now  for  some  fun.  I 
shall  quiz  him  a  little  and  make  him  show  what  a 
fool  he  is." 

"  All  right,"  cried  the  crowd,  as  the  old  fellow^ 
approached,  touched  his  cap  politely  and  walked  on. 

"  Stop  a  moment,  sir,  and  let  me  pass  the  com- 
pliments of  the  day,"  said  the  ''Colonel,"  and,  as^ 
Olivera  obeyed  and  turned  to  him  inquiringly,  he- 
added,  "Good  morning,  Mr.  Portuguese." 

Olivera  drew  himself  up,  took  off  his  cap,  and: 
bowing  low,  answered,  "  Good  morning  to  ye,. 
Mister  Darnme  Foole,"  with  an  emphasis  of  con- 
tempt such  as  I  never  heard  concentrated  in  human 
language.  The  "Colonel"  was  completely  taken 
aback,  and,  with^an  expression  of  mingled  amaze- 


230  A  doctor's  experiences 

raent  and  humiliation,  stammered  out  something 
unintelligible  and  then  beat  a  precipitate  retreat 
into  the  back  room  of  his  store,  from  which  he  only 
ventured  out  to  wait  on  his  customers  and  to  seek 
his  meals  for  weeks  afterward.  The  idea  that  any 
one  should  presume  to  address  an  insulting  epithet 
'to  him  was  more  than  he  could  stand,  and  he 
aiursed  his  wrath  for  many  a  long  daj^  over  it. 
Ever  afterward  he  was  spoken  of  as  "  Mr.  D.  F.," 
■to  his  supreme  disgust  and  indignation.  As  I 
have  already  indicated,  his  conduct  in  connection 
with  the  contest  over  the  will  was  provoking,  to 
«ay  the  least  of  it,  though  he  paid  dearly  enough 
for  his  treason  in  the  end.  He  had  always  pre- 
tended to  be  a  devoted  friend  of  the  rector's  family, 
^nd  that  profession  had  been  the  source  to  him  of  a 
^'mint  of  money"  in  the  way  of  business  ;  but  so 
soon  as  the  will  was  produced  he  became  an  open 
-enemy  and  posed  as  the  particular  friend  and  con- 
fidant of  Mr.  Johnstone — who,  to  my  certain 
knowledge,  had  always  regarded  him  with  positive 
disdain  and  aversion.  He  essayed  to  play  the  role 
of  a  ''willing  witness"  at  the  trial,  j)retending  to 
relate  conversations  previous  to  the  war  in  which 
Mr,  Johnstone  had  unkindly  criticised  the  rector 
^nd  his  family  ;  but  he  soon  had  reason  to  wish 
Mmself  hidden  beneath  his  counter  or  buried  in 
Jiis  cabbage  beds  or  drowned  in  his  rain-gage. 
*0-overnor  Bragg,  with  that  ingenuity  and  power 
of'  satire  of  which  he  was  so  specially  a  master, 
^'went  for  him"  in  a  way  which  utterly  confused 
■and  annihilated  him.  The  terrible  castigation 
which  he  received  on  that  occasion  completely 
hroke  him  down,  and  he  died  a  few  years  after- 
ward, leaving  a  void  which  is  still  esteemed  a 
-blessing  by  others  besides  old  Olivera,  the  sponsor 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  231 

who  gave  him  the  name  which  he  carried  with  him 
to  his  grave. 

If  condign  punishment  had  been  meted  out  to  all 
who  went  back  on  their  old  friends,  the  village 
parson  and  the  family  doctor,  in  those  days  of  ad- 
versity, the  work  of  final  retribution  would  be  ma- 
terially lightened,  and  the  devil  cheated  out  of 
many  a  victim  for  whom  he  has  reserved  a  warm 
reception ^in  the  great  hereafter. 

Que  pensez  vous,  mon  ami  f 


232  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER   XV. 

ALBANIA. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

We  took  up  our  residence  at  Albania,  as  I  have 
already  told  you.  This  plantation  contained  over 
six  hundred  acres,  and  though  it  was  not  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  corn  and  cotton — as  a  somewhat 
costly  experience  demonstrated — it  produced  fruit 
and  vegetables  abundantly.  After  that  discovery  I 
converted  it  into  a  regular  "  truck  farm,"  and  thus 
became  the  pioneer  in  a  business  which  has  since  re- 
deemed that  section  and  made  it  one  of  the  richest 
in  North  Carolina. 

Notwithstanding  my  professional  engagements! 
found  time  to  amuse  myself  with  the  occupations 
incident  to  country  life,  and  some  of  the  pleasant- 
est  moments  of  my  existence  were  spent  among  the 
grape  vines  and  potato  rows  at  Albania.  At  any 
rate  the  dream  of  my  life  has  ever  since  been  to  sink 
the  shop  at  the  first  convenient  moment  and  to  retire 
in  blissful  ease  and  undisturbed  repose  suh  tegmine 
fagi  for  the  remainder  of  my  days. 

The  house  was  beautiful  in  appearance  and  com- 
plete in  arrangements,  and  we  furnished  it  from 
cellar  to  attic  according  to  our  own  tastes ;  the 
grounds  had  been  laid  out  with  great  skill  and  we 
adorned  them  with  shade  trees,  parterres  of  flow- 
ers and  hedges  of  shrubbery  ;  the  old  bridge  span- 
ning the  little  stream  which  separated  the  place 
from  the  town  limits  was  pulled  down  and  a  grace- 


IN    THREE   CONTmENTS.  233 

ful  structure  erected  in  its  stead  ;  the  orchard  was 
trimmed,  culled,  and  planted  with  every  variety  of 
fruit  trees ;  the  garden  was  reclaimed  from  the 
rank  weeds  which  overran  it,  laid  out  in  appro- 
priate beds,  and  sown  with  the  choicest  vegetables  ; 
and  in  fact  nothing  was  left  undone  to  render  our 
home  comfortable,  beautiful  and  attractive — to  make 
it  a  source  of  pride  and  satisfaction  to  ourselves, 
and,  as  we  hoped,  to  our  children.  But  it  soon 
became  apparent  that  amid  the  trees  and  flowers 
aud  shrubs  that  we  loved  so  well  there  lurked  the 
seeds  of  a  miasm  which  was  undermining  the 
health  of  her  who  was  its  chief  ornament  and  at- 
traction. My  beloved  wife  grew  ill  there,  the 
^oses  faded  from  her  cheeks  and  the  yellow  tint  of 
malarial  poisoning  took  their  places,  and  I  realized 
the  painful  fact  that  the  home  which  we  loved  so 
well  must  be  abandoned  or  that  she  would  die.  It  was 
in  vain  that  she  sought  the  recuperating  breezes  of 
the  seashore  and  the  invigorating  air  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  her  return  to  Albania  was  always  attended 
by  fresh  sickness  and  renewed  suffering.  The 
birth  of  a  babe  brought  infinite  joy  to  our  hearts, 
but  no  renewal  of  health  to  the  fading  mother, 
while  the  child  seemed  to  languish  from  its  first 
breath.  At  this  juncture,  while  in  a  state  of  anx- 
ious solicitude  for  the  two  beings  upon  whom,  my 
heart's  idolatry  was  concentrated,  and  uncertain 
what  to  do  for  their  relief,  a  kind  Providence  seemed 
to  open  the  way  to  a  solution  of  the  difficulty.  A 
death  occurred  in  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
Maryland,  and  I  eagerly  entered  the  list  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  vacant  professorship,  thinking  that 
success  would  secure  a  commanding  position  and  a 
pleasant  residence  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  where 
I  hoped  long  lives  of  health  and  happiness  were 
reserved  for  me  and  mine.     I  was  successful,  and 


234  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

my  beautiful  home  was  sold  as  a  preliminary  to  m}, 
departure  from  Carolina.  How  my  brain  reels  and 
my  heart  aches  as  I  write  these  words !  I  loved 
Albania,  for  it  was  there  that  I  had  realized  the 
blissful  sense  of  possessing  a  home  of  my  own; 
there  that  the  halcyon  days  of  my  existence  were 
passed  in  sweet  communion  with  a  kindred  spirit ; 
there  that  my  first-born  first  beheld  the  light  oi 
heaven  and  of  her  mother's  loving  eyes,  and  I  felt 
as  I  subscribed  to  the  deed  which  made  it  another's 
as  if  I  were  signing  away  my  happiness  and  my 
life.  I  woukl  rather  have  lived  there  in  rags  and 
wretchedness  than  in  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries  in 
the  meridian  of  its  splendor,  and  nothing  of  grand- 
eur and  of  glory  that  the  heart  can  conceive  of 
could  have  induced  me  to  part  with  it  had  I  not 
believed  its  surrender  essential  to  the  safety  of  my 
wife  and  child.  The  gloom  which  then  oppressed 
me  proved  a  veritable  prognostication  of  evil — one 
of  those  strange  presages  of  disaster  which  some- 
times flash  through  the  mind  and  fill  it  with 
dread  in  spite  of  reason  and  philosophy  ;  for 
in  less  than  a  year  from  the  day  on  which  that 
fatal  document  was  signed,  sealed  and  delivered, 
the  storm  of  war  had  burst  upon  the  country,  bring- 
ing with  it  the  dissipation  of  my  plans  and  the 
ruin  of  my  hopes,  and  making  me  a  wanderer  upon 
the  earth,  without  a  home  or  a  refuge  that  I  coulc 
call  my  own. 

I  sold  the  estate  to  John  A.  Benbury,  taking 
neither  a  lien  upon  it  nor  security  of  any  kind  foi 
it,  and  accepting  his  ^'promissory  notes"  for  a 
great  portion  of  the  purchase  money.  He  was  a 
good  man  and  an  honest  one,  and  all  would  have 
been  well  but  for  the  ''  cruel  war/'  which  num- 
bered him  among  its  victims  and  left  me  penniless. 

At  the  battle  of  Gaines'    Mills,  while  gallantl}? 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  235 

leading  his  company— the  '^Albemarle  Guards" — 
which  I  had  organized  during  the  John  Brown  ex- 
citement, he  was  struck  by  a  conical  ball,  which 
entered  his  "  pocket-book"  and  divided  itself  into 
]-^alves — one  remaining  in  situ,  the  other  glancing 
upward  through  the  bladder,  and  producing  a 
wound  from  which  he  died  a  few  days  after  ward. _  I 
stood  by  his  bedside  as  his  brave  spirit  took  its 
flight  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  the  memories 
of  our  boyhood,  and  eyes  suffused  with  tears  of  re- 
gret for  his  loss,  little  thinking  at  the  time  that 
the  missile  which  carried  death  to  him  and  despair 
to  his  loving  wife  was  freighted  also  with  disaster 
to  me  and  mine. 

It  turned  out  afterward  that  nothing  remained 
of  his  estate  save  Albania,  and  his  wife  claiming 
the  "right  of  dower"  upon  it,  I  was  compelled  to 
sell  the '^  promissory  notes  for  what  they  would 
bring — which  was  a  mere  song — and  I  thus  lost 
my  beloved  home  and  a  greater  portion  ^of  the  so- 
called  purchase-money.  Hard  lines,  were  they  not, 
my  friend? 

It  was  during  the  period  of  my  residence  at  Al- 
bania that  the  country  was  startled  by  the  intelli- 
gence of  tbe  John  Brown  escapade  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  Virginia.  It  produced  a  profound  sensation 
throughout  the  South,  for  it  was  recognized  as  the 
first  blast  from  the  war  cloud  which  overshadowed 
the  country.  The  organization  of  military  com- 
panies became  the  order  of  the  day,  and  the  citizens 
of  Edenton  were  not  behind-hand  in  the  w^ork.  At 
a  meeting  called  for  this  purpose,  more  than  a 
hundred  recruits  were  immediately  enrolled,  the 
name  of  "the  Albemarle  Gruards"  was  selected 
for  the  organization,  and,  somewhat  to  my  surprise 
for  I  had  no  military  training,  I  was  elected  its 
captain  by  an  overwhelming  majority.     I  devoted 


236  A  doctor's  experiences 

myself,  however,  with  great  assiduity  to  the  work 
and  was  soon  gratified  by  having  under  my  com 
mand  a  fully  equipped  and  a  thoroughly   drillec 
compauy.     Although    my  connection  with  it  wa; 
happily  of  brief  duration,  as  I  removed  to  Baltimore 
a  short  time  afterward,  it  was  long  enough  to  in 
volve  me  in  an  adventure  w^hich  came  near  termi- 
nating ray  life  and   that  of  another    person.     Wt 
had  taken  possession  of  a  large  wharf,  and  wer( 
engaged  in    target  practice,  when    a  man    by  tht 
name  of  Mitchell — a  noted  bear-hunter  and  a  verj? 
desperate  character    when  under  the    influence  oi 
drink — assaulted  the  guard  and  attempted  to  break 
through    the  lines  for  the    purpose  of  reaching  a 
boat  that  was  moored   beyond  them.     Having  as- 
certained the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  I  ordered  the 
company  to  cease  firing  for  the  time  being,  while  I 
attempted  to  mollify  the  fellow  and  to  conduct  him 
quietly  to  his  boat,  so  as  to  get  him  out  of  harm's 
w^ay  as  quickly  as  possible.     He  was  polite  enough 
to  me  as"  we  walked  along,  but  he  refused  to  be  ap- 
Ijeased  so  far  as  the  guard  was  concerned,  and  con- 
tinued to  indulge  in  the  fiercest  oaths  and  threats 
against   them.     Having    reached    the  end    of  the 
wharf,  he  stepped  into  the  boat,  and,  turning  sud- 
denly, grappled  me  by  the  legs  and  attempted   to 
throw  me  over  him  into  -the  water,  with  the  evi- 
dent purpose  of  committing    murder.     I  had  my! 
drawn  sword  in  my  right  hand,  but  the  attack  was 
so  sudden  and  we  were  at  such  close  quarters  that 
i  could  not  use  it,  and  the  only  thing  I  managed  tc 
do  was  to  throw  my  left  arm  around  his  neck  in 
such  a  way  that  we   came  down  into  the  boat  to- 
gether.    Disengaging  myself  in  an  instant,  I  strucl 
him  three  blows  over  the  head  with  my  sword,  anc 
he  lay  bleeding  and  senseless  at  my  feet.     For  th< 
moment  I  thought  I  had  killed  him,  and  spring 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  237 

ing  to  the  wharf  again  I  called  the  guard  and 
ordered  them  to  lift  him  carefully  out  of  the  boat, 
and  to  place  him  upon  the  ground — when  it  soon 

jbecame  apparent  that  though  severely  wounded  he 
was  still  alive.  Having  played  the  role  militant,  I 
now  devoted  myself  to  the  role  jyrofessional ,  and 
throwing  off  my 'coat  and  staunching  the  blood  with 
handkerchiefs  saturated  with  cold  water,  I  sent  to 

.my  office  for  the  necessary  appliances,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  dress  his  wounds  secundum  artem. 

Before  I  had  completed  my  work  consciousness 

I  returned,  and  with  it  sobriety,  and  his  professions 

■of  penitence  and   regret  were    overwhelming,  but 

mot  so  sincere  in  my  judgment  as  I  should  have 
liked  considering  his  desperate  character  and  the 
fact  that  my  professional  duties  called  me  to  his 
neighborhood  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night. 
The  amusing  feature  of  the  affair  was  his  lamenta- 
tions over  a  "brand  new  set  of  crockery,"  as  he  de- 
scribed it,  which  he  had  expressly  come  to  town 
''to  purchase  for  the  old  woman,"  and  had  been 
Inoken  in  the  7nelee,  as  it  was  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat.  In  the  amiability  of  mind  which  my  own 
escape  and  his  return  to  consciousness  inspired,  I 
sent  to  the  nearest  store  and  had  another  set  pur- 
chased for  him  ;  and  he  sailed  off  with  a  bandaged 
head  and  a  replenished  cargo  amid  the  huzzas  of 
the  entire  company. 

This  was  the  only  incident  of  moment   that  oc- 

,  ourred  while  I  commanded  the  company,  but  it  was 
decimated  afterward.  It  left  Edenton  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war  more  than  a  hundred  strong,  and 
having  participated  in  every  battle  in  which  G-en- 
eral  Lee's  army  was  concerned,  it  returned  after 
the  surrender  with  only  fen  men  on  its  muster  list. 

y  I  did  not  see  Mitchell  again  for  several  weeks, 
when  our  meeting  was  of  a  peculiar  and  exciting 


238  A  doctor's  experiences 

character.  I  was  induced  by  some  friends  to  go  with 
them  on  a  "deer  hunt,"  and  was  placed  at  a  stand  in 
the  midst  of  a  j^ocoson  at  least  a  mile  distant  from 
any  other  person .  After  waiting  patiently  for  nearly 
an  hour  I  left  the  stand  and  started  homeward, 
when  I  was  startled  by  the  approach  of  footsteps, 
and  peering  beneath  the  undergrowth,  I  saw 
Mitchell  making  his  was  stealthily  through  the 
swamp  and  coming  directly  toward  me.  My  blood 
curdled^  but  I  prepared  to  defend  my  life,  as  I  had 
heard  oi  his  threat  to  ''get  even  with  Dr.  Warren 
before  the  end  of  the  year,"  and  I  knew  that  I  had 
a  desperado  to  deal  with.  Concealing  myself  un- 
til he  was  not  more  than  twenty  feet  distant,  I 
startled  him  by  suddenly  crying  out :  "Halt,"  and 
pointing  my  cocked  gun  at  his  head,  said:  "Put 
down  that  gun,  and  your  box  of  caps  with  it,  or  I 
shall  blow  your  brains  out."  He  was  taken  utterly 
aback,  and  as  his  gun  was  uncocked  and  on  his 
shoulder  he  realized  that  I  had  the  advantage  of 
him  and  obeyed  in  an  instant. 

"Now,"  said  I,  "turn  around  and  go  home. 
Your  gun  is  safe  where  it  is  and  you  can  return  and 
get  it  to-morroAv." 

"The  devil  you  say,  Doctor;  and  what  do  you 
want  with  my  box  of  caps  ?  And  why  do  you 
treat  me  in  this  way,  any  how  ?  I  would  not  hurt 
a  hair  of  your  head  for  Dr.  Tom's  plantation." 

"Oh!  that  is  all  very  well.  Talk  is  cheap, 
you  know.  I  befriended  you  and  you  tried  to 
drown  me.  I  dressed  your  wouads  and  gave  you  a 
new  set  of  crockery,  and  you  told  Elisha  Smith 
that  you  would  "get  even  with  me"  before  the 
year  was  out.  I  am  going  to  destroy  your  caps  so 
that  you  can't  sneak  back  here  to  get  your  gun  and 
shoot  me  before  I  am  out  of  this  pocoson." 

"But,    Doctor,   them   caps  cost   a   quarter.      I 


IN    THREE   CONTIXKNTS.  239 

bought  them  at  old  Billy  Badham's  last  night,  and 
he  would  not  trust  me  for  them,  neither.  I  really 
can't  aiford  to  lose  them." 

'^As  to  that,  you  shan't  lose  them.  I  will  tell 
Mr.  Badham  to  let  yon  have  two  boxes  on  my  ac- 
count." 

"Well,  that  is  talking  sense,  and  you  are  a 
gentleman,  any  way.  Do  you  think  I  would  shoot 
you  ?  I  am  the  best  friend  you  and  the  old  man 
have  in  Cowpenneck." 

"■  I  would  not  trust  you,  Mitchell,  if  you  thought 
you  had  a  fair  chance  at  me,  as  you  supposed  to-day. 
What  did  you  come  into  the  swamp  for,  and  why 
did  you  hunt  me  up  ?  But  it  is  useless  to  talk 
further  on  this  subject.  My  finger  is  getting 
rather  stiff  from  pressing  so  long  on  this  trigger, 
and  I  may  send  you  to  'kingdom  come'  before  I 
know  it.  So  now  be  off  at  once."  And  he  went 
off  in  a  hurry,  while  I^  having  first  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  discharge  his  gun  and  to  throw  his  caps 
in  the  mud,  followed  after  him  until  I  reached  the 
high  road  and  rejoined  my  friends,  feeling  more 
comfortably  than  I  had  done  for  the  preceding  half 
hour.  I  am  convinced  that  he  sought  me  with  the  de- 
liberate purpose  of  taking  my  life,  and  that  nothing 
saved  me  but  the  fact  that  I  had  changed  my  po- 
sition and  took  time  by  the  forelock  when  he  made 
his  appearance.  How  the  matter  might  have  re- 
sulted had  not  a  kind  providence  afiiicted  him  with 
pneumonia  a  short  time  afterward,  and  made  me 
the  instrument  by  which  his  life  was  saved  and  his 
resentment  appeased,  it  is  impossible  to  say  with 
accuracy  ;  bat  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  the  belief 
that  on  some  dark  night,  while  driving  alone  in  his 
neighborhood,  I  should  have  fallen  by  the  wayside 
before  the  great  bear  hunter's  unerring  shot-gun. 

Durins;  the  summer  which  succeeded  mv  election 


240  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  tlie  cliair  of  materia  meclica  and  therapeutics  ir. 
the  University  of  Maryland,  I  carried  my  family  tc 
the  Virginia  Springs,  visiting  the  most  noted  o: 
them,  making  many  pleasant  acquaintances,  and 
having  on  the  whole  a  very  delightful  time. 

The  White  Sulphur  especially  was  crowded  wdtb 
visitors,  embracing  many  leading  politicians  froii] 
the  Southern  States,  while  the  great  topic  of  con- 
versation was  the  anticipated  war  between  the  sec- 
tions— it  being  generalh^  believed  that  the  North 
would  be  ignominiously  beaten  within  thirty  days 
from  the  commencement  of  hostilities.  So  much 
for  human  foresight  and  for  political  sagacity  in 
particular. 

I  stopped  for  a  few  days  at  the  Sweet  Chalybeate, 
the  waters  of  which  contained  iron  in  abundance, 
and  have  great  reputation  in  cases  of  anaemia. 
There  I  met  with  a  strange  old  man,  who  though 
a  Jew  by  birth  and  a  gambler  by  profession,  proved 
one  of  the  truest  friends  that  1  have  ever  been 
blessed  with.  The  first  time  that  my  wife  and  I 
went  to  the  table  dliote,  we  found  sitting  opposite 
to  us  a  man  with  long  gray  hair  and  flowing 
beard,  possessing  the  Hebrew  type  of  countenanc^ 
in  a  marked  degree,  and  endowed  with  a  loquacity^ 
which  was  seemingly  limitless.  Talk  to  us  he 
would,  asking  every  possible  question,  and  giving  the 
fullest  details  concerning  his  own  personal  history, 
but  taking  especial  care  notto  be  impolite  or  offensive. 
He  struck  me  as  a  g-arrulous  t'efWarc^  with  a  morbid 
curiosity  and  great  simplicity  of  character,  though 
subsequent  experience  showed  that  there  was  more 
in  him  than  appearances  indicated.  We  treated 
him  politely  and  answered  his  questions  frankly, 
but  I  made  it  a  point  to  request  the  manager  to 
move  our  seats,  thinking  in  that  way  to  get  rid  of 
our  inquisitive  friend.      But  that  plan  was  unsuc- 


I^^   THREE   CONTINENTS.  241 

cessful.  So  soon  as  he  discovered  our  locality  he 
again  took  a  seat  opposite  to  us,  remarking  as  he 
did  so.  ''  Don't  think  me  rude,  hut  I  have  taken  a 
fancy  to  you  folks  and  have  followed  you  up,  you 
see."  It  thus  became  impossible  to  avoid  him 
without  making  an  issue,  and  as  he  was  harmless  and 
not  disposed  to  intrude  unduly  on  our  privacy,  we 
permitted  him  to  have  his  way  and  to  talk  to  us  at 
discretion.  It  turned  out  that  he  resided  in  Balti- 
more, was  the  brother  of  the  late  Captain  Levy,  U. 
S.  N.,  and  had,  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life, 
been  engaged  in  keeping  a  faro  bank,  by  means  of 
which  he  managed  to  live — as  he  was  what  the 
gamblers  call  a  "  square  player."  Indeed,  as  dis- 
reputable as  was  his  occupation,  he  was  strictly 
honest  and  honorable,  and  nothing  could  have  in- 
duced him  to  take  any  advantage  beyond  that 
which  '' the  game  allows."  He  had  seen  a  great 
deal  of  life,  and  though  as  simple  as  a  child  him- 
self, he  knew  human  nature  ah  ovo  usque  ad  mala, 
and  was  one  of  the  best  judges  of  men  that  I  ever 
saw.  I  took  daily  walks  with  him,  and  was  greatly 
entertained  by  the  stories  which  he  told  of  his  long 
and  curious  career,  and  the  questions  which  he 
asked  of  all  whom  he  encountered  in  regard  to 
everything  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  And  I 
finally  attended  him  in  an  attack  of  illness  of  some 
severity,  in  connection  with  which  he  believed  that 
I  had  saved  his  life  ;  he  became  my  devoted  friend 
for  the  remainder  of  his  days,  as  you  will  see  in  the 
course  of  this  narrative.  At  the  Healing  Springs, 
in  Bath  county,  I  met  Mr.  James  C.  Johnstone, 
and  was  detained  there  for  several  weeks  with 
him,  as  he  was  suffering  from  one  of  his  periodical 
attacks  of  ^'  nervousness,"  or,  in  other  words,  in- 
sanity. So  decidedly  suicidal  was  his  mania  and 
§0  violent  were  his  ravings  over  the  ^'  unpardon- 


16 


242  A  doctor's  experiences 

able  sin  "  which  he  alleged  he  had  committed — - 
his  constant  sobs,  shrieks  and  imprecations — that 
we  had  to  watch  him  with  ceaseless  vigilance  to 
prevent  him  from  taking  his  life  and  from  being 
overheard  by  those  around  him.  Indeed,  with  the 
latter  end  in  view,  we  rented  the  cottage  on  either 
side  of  his,  which  was  fortunately  somewhat  sep- 
arated from  the  rest — so  as  to  prevent  them  from 
being  occupied  by  other  guests,  to  whom  his  con- 
dition would  necessarily  have  revealed  itself.  On 
some  days  he  had  lucid  intervals,  and  during  these 
he  invariably  implored  me  to  place  him  under  re- 
straint, saying  he  feared  that  he  might  do  some- 
thing desperate  either  with  himself  or  with  his 
property  in  the  excitement  of  his  nervous  attacks,  of 
the  true  nature  of  which  he  seemed  to  have  had  an 
idea,  as  he  frequently  remarked  that  insanity  was 
in  his  blood,  which  was  lamentably  true.  And 
yet,  strange  to  relate,  certain  j^a-i'ties  who  were 
witnesses  of  all  that  occurred  there,  and  who  daily 
discussed  with  me  the-  question  of  conveying  him 
to  the  lunatic  asylum  at  Staunton,  testified  at  the 
trial  in  explicit  terms  that  they  had  ''  never  seen 
aught  in  his  conduct  which  justified  a  doubt  as  to 
his  sanity." 

It  is  true  that  they  were  remembered  in  the  will, 
but  I  believe  them  to  be  perfectly  honest  men ; 
and  I  have  never  been  able  to  understand  their 
testimony,  as  I  was  not  there  to  refresh  their 
memories  by  a  few  pertinent  questions  ;  such  for 
instance  as  :  Why  we  watched  him  together  so  vi- 
gilantly? Why  we  rented  the  contiguous  cottages? 
Why  we  discussed  the  question  of  conveying  him 
to  Staunton?  etc. 

My  father,  who  was  a  shrewd  observer,  always 
said  that  a  man  could  bring  himself  to  believe 
whatever  he  desired  to  believe  without  a  conscious- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  243 

compromise  of  integrity.  The  truth  of  this  idea 
Avas  certainly  illustrated  in  this  instance,  for  the 
parties  in  question  learned  to  forget  just  what  they 
desired  to  forget,  and  still  preserved  their  con- 
sciences intact,  as  I  am  thoroughly  convinced. 

It  was  during  my  sojourn  at  the  Healing  Springs 
and  amid  my  solitary  vigils  at  the  bedside  of  this 
wretched  lunatic  that  I  had  revealed  to  me  the  true 
nature  of  the  burden  which  had  so  long  weighed 
upon  his  soul,  and  given  significance  to  his  inter- 
minable ravings  respecting  the  "unpardonable 
sin"  about  which  he  raved  so  persistently. 

It  is  useless  to  go  into  particulars  now — though 
I  should  have  done  so  at  the  trial  in  the  interest  of 
truth  and  justice — since  he  has  been  judged  already 
at  that  bar  from  which  there  is  no  appeal,  but  I 
will  simply  say  that,  in  failing  to  make  the  resti- 
tution for  which  his  original  will  was  intended,  he 
committed  as  infamous  a  crime  as  ever  disgraced 
humanity,  if  in  the  possession  of  his  faculties  and 
really  responsible  for  his  acts.  In  a  word,  I  ascer- 
tained with  absolute  certainty  that  he  was  either 
a  madman  and  beyond  the  pale  of  all  moral  re- 
sponsibility, or  a  criminal,  and  deserving  of  one  of 
the  severest  penalties  known  to  the  law — a  punish- 
ment which  would  have  transmitted  his  name  in 
infamy  to  posterity. 

With  a  positive  knowledge  of  the  secret  history  of 
his  life,  I  can  and  I  do  throw  the  mantle  of  charity 
over  his  deeds  ;  and  I  implore  you  and  all  who  may 
read  these  pages  to  believe  with  me  that  the  con- 
duct of  his  later  days  was  the  result  and  the  expo- 
nent of  positive  physical  disease,  of  a  cerebral  me- 
tamorphosis and  degeneration,  which  filled  his  mind 
with  delusions,  perverted  his  moral  sense  and  abro- 
gated his  free  agency  and  responsibility. 

But  ''spilt  milk"  is  a   commodity    over    which 


07 


244  A  doctor's  experiences 

lamentations  liave  long  since  been  voted  a  drug 
and  I  will  let  this  matter  rest  where  a  facile  jury  has 
left  it,  with  the  remark  that  the  greatest  wrong  that 
can  be  done  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Johnstone  is  to 
ascribe  to  him  reason  and  responsibility,  since 
such  an  assum23tion  places  him  in  the  position  of 
having  really  committed  the  ^'unpardonable  sin" 
of  depriving  the  rector  and  his  family  of  property 
which  was  theirs  already  and  which  he  had  no  legal 
right  to  alienate. 

Justice  to  the  living  and  the  dead  constrains  me 
to  say  that  the  legatees  were  ignorant  of  the  fact 
to  which  I  allude,  and  that  the  only  person  who 
could  have  thrown  light  upon  it  drowned  herself  in 
the  adjacent  creek  during  an  attack  of  temporary 
insanity  induced  by  the  distress  which  her  knowl- 
edge of  it  had  occasioned. 


*IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  245 


LETTER   XVI. 

THE  EOLE  OF  A  PROFESSOE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

It  was  a  serious  thing  to  go  to  a  great  city  and 
undertake  the  role  of  a  professor,  and  I  felt  the 
responsibility  of  my  position  most  acutely,  espe- 
cially as  my  success  in  obtaining  it  had  naturally 
excited  the  jealousy  of  my  competitors  and  their 
supporters. 

I  had  prepared  a  full  course  of  lectures  in  advance, 
and  I  thought  I  should  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
read  them  in  an  impressive  manner.  In  this  I 
made  a  fearful  mistake,  as  I  soon  learned  to  my 
sorrow,  for  I  found  not  only  that  mere  didactic 
teaching  was  but  a  small  portion  of  the  labor  to 
which  I  stood  committed,  but  that  my  lectures  were 
not  at  all  adapted  to  the  purposes  for  which  they 
had  been  prepared. 

The  medical  charge  of  the  hospital  attached  to 
the  college  was  at  once  assigned  me,  and  I  had  to 
visit  its  wards  daily,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  sharp- 
witted  students,  to  make  an  accurate  diagnosis,  to 
prescribe  appropriately,  and  to  explain  everything 
of  clinical  significance  in  each  case  that  presented 
itself. 

Fortunately,  I  had  been  a  thorough  student  from 
the  day  of  my  defeat  in  the  yEsculapian  Society, 
and  my  experience  in  hospitals  abroad  and  at  the 
bedside  at  home  had  given  me  that  readiness  in 
interpreting  morbid  phenomena,  that  facility  in  the 


246  A  doctor's  experiences 

employment  of  remedies,  and  that  practical  knowl- 
edge of  disease  in  general  which  the  exigencies  of! 
the  situation  so  peremptorily  demanded  ;  while  my 
fluency  of  speech — which,  I  am  sure,  you  will  not 
consider  me  egotistical  in  claiming — assured  my 
success  as  a  clinical  'lecturer  from  the  start.  But' 
the  task  was  no  easy  one,  and  the  amount  of 
'^  midnight  oil"  consumed  in  preparing  for  my 
daily  duties  can  hardlj^  he  estimated,  as  I  had 
every  stimulus  to  exertion  that  could  inspire  the 
human  heart.  Strange  to  say,  I  experienced  more 
difficulty  with  my  regular  lectures  than  with  any- 
thing else,  and  for  some  time  I  realized  that  I  was 
making  a  failure  in  that  regard.  I  soon  discovered 
that,  although  my  lectures  were  finished  discourses 
from  a  literary  and  a  scientific  point  of  view,  they 
did  not  impress  my  auditors,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
rendered  them  listless  and  unsympathetic.  Unable 
to  appreciate  the  situation,  and  surprised  that  my 
elaborate  disquisitions  seemed  to  be  wasted  on  the 
class,  notwithstanding  their  polished  periods  and 
their  oratorical  flights,  I  requested  a  friend  of  sound 
judgment  to  attend  several  of  my  lectures,  and  to 
endeavor  to  ascertain  their  defects  and  the  secret 
of  my  manifest  failure. 

After  having  listened  to  but  a  single  one,  he 
sought  me  and  said:  ^' Well,  Warren,  I  have 
heard  your  lecture,  and  have  come  with  my  report. 
But,  first,  let  me  ask  if  all  of  them  are  like  the  one 
which  I  listened  to  on  yesterday  ?" 

'^  Yes,"  I  answered.  ^^  I  think  the  one  which  I 
delivered  on  yesterday  is  a  fair  specimen  of  the  rest, 
only  that  as  I  progress  with  the  subject  I  naturally 
become  less  elementary  and  more  technical." 

"^^  Then,"  said  he,  "  that  being  the  case,  let  me 
advise  you  to  make  a  bonfire  of  them  immediately." 

''  Burn  my  lectures,"  cried  I,  ''burn  them  after 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  247 

all  the  thought  and  research  that  I  have  devoted  to 
them?  Are  they,  then^  such  miserable  produc- 
tions— such  dead  failures  ?  How  am  I  to  get  on 
without  them  ?  " 

^' Yes,  burn  them  all,  and  do  it  to-day,"  he  re- 
plied. ' '  They  are  creditable  productions  enough  in 
themselves,  but  they  are  not  suited  to  those  to 
whom  they  are  addressed.  They  would  answer  for 
professors,  but  not  for  students.  You  fire  abov^e 
the  heads  of  your  auditors,  and  they  do  not  see 
what  you  are  aiming  at.  Burn  them.  Trust  to 
your  knowledge  of  the  subject,  to  your  natural 
oratorical  powers,  and  to  the  inspiration  of  an  at- 
tracted class,  and  you  will  succeed.  The  students 
say  that  you  are  '  a  trump  at  the  bedside,'  but  'a 
bore  in  the  lecture-room.'  So  go  to  work  and  talk 
in  the  same  natural  manner  in  both  places.  Instead 
of  supposing  that  you  have  to  address  educated 
doctors^  select  the  most  ignorant  student  in  the 
class  and  lecture  to  him  exclusively — suiting  your 
ideas  and  your  language  to  the  measure  of  Ms  ca- 
pacity, and  you  will  please  and  instruct  the  rest.'' 

I  spent  a  sleejDless  night,  thinking  continuously 
of  this  criticism  and  advice,  but  without  being  able 
to  summon  courage  enough  to  follow  my  friend's 
suggestions  ;  and  I  went  to  the  lecture-room  on  the 
next  day  determined  to  make  another  brave  effort 
in  behalf  of  my  bantlings  before  concluding  to 
consign  them  to  the  flames,  as  I  thought  them 
worthy  of  a  better  fate. 

I  tried  to  speak  with  unusual  emphasis  ;  to  make 
up  in  manner  for  all  other  deficiencies,  but  hardly 
had  I  begun  when  I  felt  so  hampered  by  the  com- 
ments of  my  friend,  and  so  confused  by  the  per- 
sistent indifference  of  the  class,  that  I  could  scarcely 
read  the  manuscript  before  me,  and  I  halted,  stam- 
mered, and  blushed  crimson  with  each  succeeding 


248  A  doctor's  experiences  ^ 

sentence.       Finally,    meeting    with  the   word  ele- 
phantiasis^ my  tongue  failed  absolutely  to  perform 
its  functions.     Here  was  a  dilemma  indeed,  and  I 
perfectly  recognized  its  significance,  realizing  that 
I  must  do  something  desperate  to  escape  from  it  or 
retire  in  disgrace  from  the  lecture-room.     Stopping  j 
for  a  moment,  and    taking  a   drink    of  water — the 
last  resource  of  oratorical  desperation — I  seized  my  i 
manuscript,  tore  it   into    a   hundred   pieces,  and,  I 
throwing  them  from  the  rostrum,  said:   '^  There  go' 
my  bladders,  gentlemen,  and  I  shall  swim  without 
them  or  sink  in  the    attempt."     The    effect    was 
magical.     The  students  rose  from  their  seats,  and 
gave  cheer  after  cheer  in  the  wildest  enthusiasm, 
and  when  silence  was  restored  I  proceeded  with  my 
lecture,  and,  without  halt  or  hesitatioUj  talked  on 
to  the  end  of  the  hour. 

From  that  day  I  never  carried  a  note  into  the 
lecture-room,  but  trusting  to  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  subject,  to  my  nature^  fluency  of  speech,  and 
to  the  manifest  j)artiality  of  the  class,  I  lectured 
regularly  to  crowded  benches,  and  with  a  success 
which  I  will  leave  you  to  estimate,  as  I  was  fre- 
quently honored  by  your  presence  in  the  audience. 

Nor  did  I  forget  the  advice  which  had  been  given 
me  in  regard  to  the  matter  and  style  of  my  lec- 
tures, for,  selecting  a  student  who  seemed  most 
signally  to  illustrate  the  Darwinian  theory  of  man's 
descent,  I  addressed  myself  to  him  exclusively,  and 
in  terms  which  I  thought  his  primal  ancestors 
themselves  would  appreciate,  with  the  result  of 
pleasing  and  instructing  the  entire  class,  just  as  my 
friend  had  predicted. 

We  had  a  delightful  time  socially.  The  best 
people  called  on  us,  and  invited  us  to  their  houses. 
There  was  no  feeling  against  us  as  strangers,  but 
we  were  sought  after,  caressed,  flattered,  and  over- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  249 

whelmed  with  courtesies  of  every  kind.  Baltimore 
seemed,  indeed,  a  veritable  Paradise,  with  every- 
thing to  render  it  attractive,  and  to  fill  us  with 
thankfulness  that  our  lots  had  been  cast  with  such 
charming  people  and  in  so  delightful  a  place.  I 
was  at  once  elected  a  member  of  the  Maryland 
Club,  and  made  the  surgeon  of  a  crack  regiment^ 
while  my  name  figured  in  the  lists  of  every  possi- 
ble fashionable  enterprise  and  charitable  adventure. 
Private  practice  came  also  in  a  full  tide  from  the 
first,  my  Hebrew  friend  of  the  Sweet  Chalybeate 
materially  swelling  the  current  by  his  entliusiastic 
laudation  whenever  my  name  was  mentioned.  In 
a  word,  heaven  seemed  to  have  selected  me  for  the 
fullest  measure  of  its  sunshine,  and  olessed  with 
health,  means,  position,  the  prospect  of  greater 
wealth,  an  adoring  wife  and  a  lovely  child,  I 
fondly  dreamed  that  my  cup  of  bliss  was  filled  to 
repletion,  and  that  there  were  no  dregs  at  the 
bottom  of  it.  But  I  was  destined  to  find  it  the 
merest  mockery  and  the  most  empty  delusion  after 
all. 

Preoccupied  with  the  duties  of  my  position,  and 
having  long  since  ceased  to  take  interest  in  poli- 
tics, I  was  insensible  to  the  progress  of  events  un- 
til troops  were  actually  marching  through  Balti- 
more to  engage  in  the  work  of  subjugating  and 
devastating  the  South. 

I  had  a  particular  friend,  an  Irishman  by  the 
name  of  Davis,  to  whom  I  had  long  been  de- 
votedly attached .  He  and  his  young  wife — a  charm- 
ing woman,  whose  life  was  hound  up  in  her  hus- 
band— resided  in  the  same  house  with  us,  and  were 
our  constant  companions. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  I  accepted  an  in- 
vitation to  accompany  him  to  the  Washington 
depot  to  witness  the   departure  of  the  6th  Massa- 


250  A  doctor's  experiences  ; 

cliusetts  regiment,  as  I  desired  to  learn  something 
of  the  material  with  which  it  was  proposed  to  coerce 
the  Southern  people^  a  task  that  I  then  deemed  im- 
possible. I  should  explain  that  in  those  days  troops 
coming  from  the  North  and  bound  to  the  Sputh 
had  to  leave  the  train  at  the  President  street  depot, 
and  to  march  along  Pratt  street  to  the  Camden 
street  depot,  a  distance  of  about  one  mile  and  a 
half;  and  it  was  to  the  latter  place  that  we  pro- 
posed to  go  for  the  gratification  of  our  curiosit5\ 

Preliminary  to  starting  on  this  mission,  I  visited 
a  patient  in  the  neighborhood  and  was  unexpect- 
edly detained  for  half  an  hour  at  his  residence, 
having  to  wait  for  my  hat,  which  some  one  had 
taken  away  by  mistake.  This  trivial  circumstance 
possibly  saved  my  life.  When  I  returned  to  keep 
my  engagement  with  Davis,  I  found  that  he  had 
grown  impatient  at  my  delay  and  had  left  without 
me,  and  I  went  to  my  office  and  remained  there  an 
hour  engaged  in  reading.  On  going  into  the  street 
again  I  found  the  greatest  possible  excitement  and 
commotion  prevailing  there.  People  were  rushing 
in  the  wildest  confusion  towardPrattstreet,  breaking 
into  the  gun  stores  and  armories  en  route ^  and  cry- 
ing ''  Baltimoreans  to  the  rescue  !  The  war  has 
commenced  !  The  troops  have  fired  upon  the  citi- 
zens !  Our  brothers  are  being  murdered  !  Let  us 
avenge  them  !"  In  a  moment  every  drop  of  blood 
within  me  was  on  fire,  and  T  joined  the  throng  and 
hastened  eagerly  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  On 
arriving  there  I  found  a  large  number  of  police  in- 
terposed between  a  crowd  of  excited  citizens  and  a 
detachment  of  demoralized  troops  which  was  being 
marched  toward  the  depot  under  the  protection  of 
the  mayor  and  the  chief  of  police.  I  learned  that 
a  serious  engagement  had  occurred  between  the 
people  and   two  detachments  which  had  preceded 


I 


IN   THREE   COXTIXENTS.  251 

this  one,  in  wliicli  a  number  of  persons  on  both 
sides  vv^ere  wounded,  and  that  the  police  had  inter- 
fered and  put  an  end  to  the  disturbance,  but  with 
the  greatest  difficulty.  I  had  been  on  the  ground 
but  a  few  moments  when  I  saw  a  special  friend  of 
mine  gesticulating  wildly,  and  relating  something 
which  seemed  to  distress  him  greatly,  and  fill  those 
^bout  him  with  almost  ungovernable  fury.  Push- 
ing through  the  crowd,  I  at  last  approached  him 
and  cried  out:  ''In  God's  name,  what  is  the 
matter."  "Matter!''  he  exclaimed^  "Davis  is 
dead.  He  has  been  shot  down  like  a  dog.  Come 
and  help  to  avenge  his  murder." 

"  Davis  murdered  !'"'  I  cried.  "  Lead  on  and  I 
will  follow  to  the  death  ;  but  let  us  go  to  the 
Armory  and  get  muskets.  We  can't  fight  with  our 
naked  hands."  But,  before  we  could  do  anything, 
it  was  announced  that  the  soldiers  had  been  placed 
on  the  train  and  sent  off  to  Washington,  and  thus  the 
opportunity  to  avenge  our  murdered  friend  was  lost 
forever. 

I  then  learned  that  having  reached  the  depot  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  troops  he  strolled  leisurely 
along  the  track  until  he  got  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  city,  and,  that,  when  the  train  passed  him,  in 
total  ignorance  of  the  attack  which  had  been  made 
on  the  soldiers  and  in  the  purest  badinage,  he 
waved  his  hat  in  the  air  and  cried:  "Hurrah  for 
Jeff  Davis  !  " — when  a  hundred  guns  were  fired  si- 
multaneously from  the  windows,  and  he  fell  with 
a  bullet  through  his  heart,  the  first  victim  to  the 
war  between  the  sections.  But  for  the  trivial  cir- 
cumstance of  having  to  wait  for  my  hat,  I  should 
have  been  with  him  and  at  his  side  to  receive,  per- 
haps, one  of  the  hundred  balls  which  were  sped  on 
that  mission  of  vengeance  and  death. 

I  immediately    started  in  search  of  his  remains ; 


252  A  doctor's  experiences 

made  arrangements  to  have  them  transferred  to  h: 
residence  so  soon  as  the  coroner's  work  was  done 
and  then  went  in  advance  to  break  the  terrihl 
news  to  his  wife.  Of  that  heart-rending  interviewj 
and  of  all  the  sad  incidents  connected  with  the  ai! 
rival  of  his  body  and  its  subsequent  interment,  ! 
can  not  trust  myself  to  write,  for  the  recollectioij 
of  them  is  like  a  sharp  thorn  in  my  heart  even  a' 
this  distant  day.  Thus  was  sacrificed,  wantonh 
and  unnecessarily,  one  of  nature's  real  noblemen- 
one  whose  bosom  glowed  with  the  best  traits  of  th^ 
race  to  which  he  belonged — and  to  whom  the  tern 
gentleman  in  its  highest  and  most  comprehensiv( 
significance  was  as  thoroughly  applicable  as  to  an] 
man  I  have  ever  known.  He  was  summoned  to  hi; 
last  account  without  a  moment's  warning  ;  but  fo] 
every  sin  registered  against  him  there  were  a  thou- 
sand good  deeds  recorded  as  an  offset,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  the  fountain  of  mercy  flowed  as  freely  foi 
him  as  for  any  shriven  soul  that  ever  stood  before 
the  judgment  seat. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  253 


LETTER   XVII. 

THE  WAR  BEGUN. 

I  My  Dear  Doctor  : 

!  The  affair  of  the  19th  of  April  produced  a  fear- 
!ful  commotion  in  the  country,  and  there  were  stir- 
'ring  scenes  in  Baltimore  for  some  days  afterward. 
'Throughout  the  North  there  resounded  a  cry  for 
'vengeancCj  and  preparations  were  made  to  invade 
Maryland  and  to  burn  its  rebellious  city.  The 
South  received  the  intelligence  with  the  wildest 
manifestations  of  delight  and  promises  of  prompt 
assistance  in  case  of  need.  The  people  of  Baltimore 
without  distinction  of  party  were  a  unit  in  their 
approval  of  the  assault,  and  mass-meetings  were 
held  daily  in  Monument  Square  to  give  expression 
to  the  prevailing  sentiment  against  the  passage  of 
troops  through  the  city.  Of  two  of  these  meetings 
I  have  a  specially  vivid  memory  :  one  of  them 
was  presided  over  by  Holiday  Hicks — then  the  im- 
•cumbent  of  the  gubernatorial  chair — who  professed 
a  readiness  to  shed  the  last  drop  of  his  blood  to  pro- 
tect Baltimore  against  further  invasion,  and  a 
month  afterward  became  the  pliant  tool  of  the 
Federal  authorities  to  this  very  end  ;  and  the 
other  was  electrified  by  a  speech  from  ex-Grovernor 
Lowe,  which  was  one  of  the  most  stirring  that  I 
ever  heard.  Commencing  in  this  wise  :  ''Were  I 
Governor  of  Maryland  for  a  single  hour  to-night,  I 
should  seize  yon  time-honored  banner,  and  turning 
my  face  toward  the  Pennsylvania  line,  would  call 
upon  every  loyal  son  of  the  South  to  follow  me,'' 


254  A  doctor's  experiexces 

he  poured  out  for  an  hour  a  torrent  of  such  burning 
words  as  moved  almost  to  frenzy  the  excited  crowd 
around  him.  The  volunteer  companies  were  called 
to  arms ;  others  were  promptly  organized  ;  and 
nothing  was^left  undone  in  the  work  of  preparing 
to  repel  any  invasion  that  might  be  attempted. 
On  the  Sunday  succeeding  the  attack  in  Pratt 
street  intelligence  was  received  of  the  approach  of 
a  body  of  Northern  troops,  and  the  greatest  excite- 
ment prevailed.  The  church  bells  were  rung  ;  the 
general  fire-alarm  was  sounded  :  and  the  citizens 
turned  out  en  masse  with  such  arms  as  they  could 
command,  and  flocking  to  the  City  Hall,  prepared 
to  resist  the  enemy,  a  Voutrance.  I  was  made 
surgeon-in-chief  of  the  municipal  forces,  and  au- 
thorized to  employ  as  many  assistants  as  were  re- 
quired, and  to  seize  all  necessary  instruments,  ap- 
pliances and  stores,  and  to  hold  myself  ready  to 
take  charge  of  the  wounded.  Indeed,  I  actually 
received  orders  to  march  to  the  field,  and  mounted 
on  an  immense  white  horse  seized  for  the  occasion 
at  the  nearest  livery  stable,  and  with  a  large  corps- 
of  surgeons  and  a  caravan  of  express  wagons  fol- 
lowing after  me,  I  marched  up  Baltimore  street  to 
Green,  when  I  was  ordered  to  return  to  head- 
quarters, there  being  really  no  enemy  at  Catons- 
ville,  as  had  been  reported.  I  was,  nevertheless, 
kept  on  duty  for  a  number  of  days,  while  the  whole 
city  resounded  with  martial  music  and  glittered 
with  uniforms  and  bayonets.  The  authorities  at 
Washington  having  in  the  mean  time  become 
alarmed  and  not  wishing  to  precipitate  hostilities " 
on  that  side  of  the  Potomac,  came  to  an  understand- 
ing with  the  mayor  that  the  city  should  not  be 
molested  and  that  the  troops  ''called  out  for  the 
defense  of  the  National  capital'" — as  they  put  it — 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  255 

;!ioulcl  be  sent  to  Anaapolis  and  transported  thence 
)}'  rail  to  the  District. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  momentary  lull  and 
mticipating  subsequent  trouble,  I  carried  my  fam- 
ly  as  far  as  Norfolk  en  route  to  Edenton,  and  re- 
turned immediately  to  Baltimore,  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  any  emergency.  A  short  time  after  my  return 
I  was  sent  for  by  Generals  Stewart  and  Elzy — then 
in  command  of  the  volunteer  organizations  of  the 
3ity — and  informed  that  they  had  men  in  abun- 
dance, but  were  sadly  in  want  of  arms,  and  requested 
to  bear  letters  to  the  governors  of  Virginia  and  of 
North  Carolina,  asking  for  a  contribution  from  each 
of  a  thousand  muskets.  It  was  a  perilous  undertak- 
ing, as  the  route  through  Washington  was  closed  and 
the  Relay  House  was  in  the  hands  of  General  Butler, 
who  was  said  to  be  very  strict  in  his  examination 
of  persons  and  of  their  baggage.  I  considered  it  a 
point  of  honor,  however,  to  accept  the  mission 
whatever  might  be  the  risk  attending  it,  and  after 
having  seen  two  of  my  colleagues  and  obtained 
their  cordial  indorsement  of  the  undertaking,  I 
started  on  the  next  morning,  taking  with  me  only  a 
hand-satchel  with  a  change  of  linen,  and  leaving 
my  office  and  all  of  my  effects  in  charge  of  a  ser- 
vant. I  expected  to  be  absent  about  two  weeks, 
but  it  was  not  until  after  four  years  of  suffering, 
peril  and  pecuniary  ruin  that  I  saw  Baltimore 
again — to  find  my  chair  occupied  by  another,  my 
colleagues  hostile  or  indifferent,  my  hosts  of  ardent 
friends  changed  into  mere  acquaintances,  and  my 
books,  instruments,  clothing  and  everything  that 
I  possessed  scattered  to  the  winds. 

When  the  train  on  which  I  was  a  passenger 
reached  the  Eelay  House,  I  slipped  into  my  pockets 
everything  that  could  make  the  identification  of 
my  hand-satchel  possible,  and  then  wrapping  the 


256  A  doctor's  experiences 

dangerous  letters  in  an  old  newspaper,  I  left  it 
open  upon  the  seat  which  I  had  occupied  and  re- 
treated to  the  platform  in  the  rear.  I  watched  the 
guard  as  it  came  stamping  and  cursing  on  its  mis- 
sion of  investigation,  intending  to  jump  off  and 
disappear  in  the  crowcl  if  they  examined  the  satchel, 
as  I  should  have  been  shot  to  a  certainty  had  the 
letters  been  found  and  traced  to  me.  Fortunately, 
the  ruse  succeeded,  for,  observing  that  the  satchel 
was  open  and  only  a  roll  of  old  paper  was  visible, 
they  simply  scanned  it  furtively  and  passed  on,  I 
then  entered  the  car  very  boldly  and  meeting  them 
half  way  answered  their  questions  in  regard  to  my- 
self by  saying  that  I  was  a  doctor  returning  to  his 
home  in  the  South,  and  concerning  m}^  baggage  by 
pointing  to  the  satchel  which  they  had  passed  over. 
This  seemed  to  be  satisfactory,  as  with  an  oath  or 
two — uttered  on  general  principles — they  went  on 
with  their  work  and  left  me  unmolested.  We 
were  detained  fully  three  hours,  and  I  began  to 
think  that  we  would  not  be  perniitted  to  proceed 
further  and  that  I  should  fall  into  ''  Old  Ben's  " 
clutches  after  all.  But  the  whistle  finally  sounded, 
and  my  agony  of  suspense  was  relieved  by  the  de^ 
parture  of  the  train.  In  my  whole  life  I  have 
never  experienced  such  intensely  anxious  moments 
as  those  which  I  passed  at  that  depot,  with  General 
Elzy's  compromising  letters  in  my  satchel  and 
General  Butler's  brutal  guard  on  the  train.  For 
weeks  afterward  visions  of  a  drum-head  court 
martial  and  of  a  squad  of  uniformed  executioners 
floated  though  my  mind^  and  I  never  retired  with- 
out dreaming  of  a  cross-eyed  man  and  a  death  war- 
rant— such  was  the  impression  produced  upon  my 
brain  by  what  occurred  on  that  memorable  day  at 
the   Relay  House. 

At  Point  of  Rocks  I  saw  General  Turner  Ashby, 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  257 

and  having  explained  my  mission  and  shown  my 
letters,  obtained  permission  from  him  to  cross  the 
river  and  to  proceed  to  Leesbiirg,  Virginia,  from 
whence  a  train  ran  to  Alexandria.  I  was  particu- 
larly struck  with  Ashby,  and  was  not  surprised 
at  the  brilliant  reputation  which  he  subsequently 
made  for  himself.  Though  diminutive  in  person, 
he  possessed  that  peculiar  nervous  organization 
which  develops  force  and  fortitude  out  of  a  seem- 
ingly deficient  physical  system,  and  with  which 
high  courage  and  great  dash  are  invariably  asso- 
ciated.  With  hair  as  black  as  the  crow's  breast, 
a  flowing  beard  of  the  same  color,  and  features 
delicately  molded,  his  face  was  lighted  up  by  two 
«raall  gray  eyes,  which  seemed  to  coruscate  with 
every  passing  emotion,  and  to  tell  of  the  pride  and 
daring  which  were  the  dominating  elements  of  his 
character.  He  fell  early  in  the  war,  but  not  before 
he  had  associated  his  name  with  deeds  of  heroism 
which  have  secured  for  it  a  commanding  position 
in  the  history  of  the  struggle,  and  will  transmit  it 
to  posterity  as  that  of  one  of  the  bravest  of  the  brave. 
General  Jackson — the  immortal  "Stonewall"  of 
Confederate  days — in  his  report  of  the  engagement 
in  which  he  fell,  says  of  him  :  "  As  a  partisan  of- 
ficer, I  never  knew  his  superior.  His  daring 
bravery  was  proverbial ;  his  powers  of.  endurance 
■almost  incredible  ;  his  tone  of  character  heroic  ; 
and  his  sagacity  in  discovering  the  purposes  and 
movements  of  the  enemy  almost  intuitive."  For 
such  a  eulogium  from  such  a  source  any  man 
might  be  proud  to  die,  and  it  will  stand  as  a 
monument  to  his  memory  while  true  heroism  is 
-appreciated  among  men. 

My  traveling  companion  was  Charles    Winder, 
of  Maryland,  who  had  just  resigned  a  captaincy  in 
the  United  States  Army — which  had  been  given  to 
17 


258  A  doctor's  experiences 

him  for  standing  by  "his  command  on  a  sinking- 
steamer  when  every  other  officer  sought  safety  in  a 
passing  vessel — and  was  proceeding  southward  ta 
offer  his  sword  to  the  Confederacy. 

He  afterward  distinguished  himself  on  many 
bloody  fields  and  was  created  a  brigadier-general 
at  an  early  period  of  the  war  for  ' '  conspicuous 
gallantry  in  the  face  of  the  enemy."  I  never  met 
with  a  more  modest  and  charming  man,  or  one 
who  bore  more  decidedly  the  stamp  of  high  breed- 
ing, purity  of  character,  and  chivalrous  courage. 
Though  we  met  as  strangers,  we  parted  as  friends, 
and  I  paid  him  the  tribute  of  many  a  sympathetic 
tear  when  I  heard  that  he  had  fallen  at  Cedar  Kun 
in  the  summer  of  '62,  ''manifesting  the  same 
spirit  as  on  the  wreck,  that  which  holds  life  light 
when  weighed  against  honor,"  as  Mr.  Davies  tes- 
tifies. He  was  a  near  relative  of  Gen.  John  H. 
Winder,  to  whose  lot  it  fell  to  have  charge  of  the 
Federal  prisoners  during  the  war  and  to  be  exposed 
to  such  a  storm  of  abuse  afterward.  Though  au- 
stere in  manner  and  somewhat  of  a  martinet  in 
disposition,  I  believe  him  to  have  been  a  man  of 
kind  heart  and  scrupulous  integrity,  and  I  am  con- 
vinced that  so  far  from  having  deliberately  con- 
tributed to  the  sufferings  of  those  under  his  charge 
he  did  all  in  his  power  to  ameliorate  their  condi- 
tion. Mr.  Davis,  as  you  know,  bears  emphatic 
testimony  in  his  favor,  declaring  that  "he  was  a 
man  too  brave  to  be  cruel  to  anything  within  his 
power,  and  too  well-bred  and  well-born  to  be  in- 
fluenced by  sordid  motives,"  while  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral Cooper,  an  officer  of  acknowledged  character 
and  reliability,  writes  that  "he  was  an  honest,  up- 
right, and  humane  gentleman."  I  do  not  propose 
to  go  into  the  question  of  the  treatment  of  j)rison- 
ers  during  the  war,  and  J  will  dismiss  the  subject 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  25^ 

with  the  following  observations  :  Prisoners  of  war^ 
as  a  rule,  complain  of  the  treatment  which  they 
have  received.  The  Confederate  soldiers  who  were 
confined  in  Northern  prisons  told  similar  stories  of 
hardship  and  atrocities  ;  the  South  was  completely 
drained  of  its  resources,  and  was  too  poor  to  supply 
its  own  soldiers  with  common  necessaries,  instru- 
ments and  medicines,  while  hospital  stores  were 
early  made  contraband  of  war  ;  the  policy  of  a  non- 
exchange  of  prisoners  did  not  originate  with  the 
South,  and  was  in  direct  conflict  with  its  interests, 
and^  lastly,  the  attributes  of  real  bravery  and  of 
positive  cruelty  are  incompatible  in  themselves,  and 
the  South  points  toits  record  on  the  battle-field  as 
an  answer  to  the  charge  of  intentional  unkindness 
to  those  whom  the' chances  of  war  placed  in  its 
power. 

In  the  various  positions  which  I  had  the  honor 
to  occupy  during  the  war,  I  was  brought  much  in 
contact  with  prisoners,  and  especially  with  those 
who  had  been  wounded,  and  I  can  say  with  my 
hand  upon  my  heart  that  I  invariably  treated  them 
with  the  greatest  kindness.  Of  suffering  men  I 
never  asked  to  which  side  they  belonged  or  cared 
for  the  color  of  the  uniform  theywore,  but  I  minis- 
tered to  all  as  if  they  were  my  friends  and  brethren. 
Had  I  acted  differently  I  should  have  failed  to  inter- 
pret the  feelings  and  washes  of  the  two  great  men 
under  whom  it  was  my  privilege  to  serve^  Robert  E. 
Lee  and  Zebulon  B.  Vance,  the  finest  types  of 
Christian  gentlemen  I  have  ever  known. 

I  saw  nothing  of  the  ''guns  commanding  the 
Potomac,"  of  which  I  had  heard  so  much  in  Balti- 
more, but  I  found  Alexandria  in  a  state  of  demorali- 
zation, as  it  had  been  abandoned  by  the  Southern 
forces  in  view  of  an  expected  advance  from  Wash- 


260  A  doctor's  experiences 

ington,  wliicli  actually  took  place  a  few  days  after- 
ward. 

I  readied  Richmond  without  mishap,  and  put  up 
at  the  Exchange  Hotel,  which  was  then  the  head- 
quarters of  the  coming  Confederate  army.  I  say 
the  ^'coming"  army,  for  though  the  greatest  ex- 
citement prevailed,  and  every  one  talked  of  dying 
for  his  country,  there  was  nothing  approaching  to 
a  regular  organization  in  existence.  In  truth,  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  describe  the  condition  of 
things  in  Richmond  at  that  time.  'All  business 
seemed  suspended ;  flags  bearing  strange  devices 
floated  from  every  house-top  ;  tlie  air  was  filled 
with  the  strains  of  martial  music  ;  crowds  of  citi- 
zens with  palmetto  twigs  or  blue  cockades  in  their 
hats,  and  armed  with  rifles  or  shot-guns  or  rusty 
swords^  paraded  the  streets  by  night  and  day  ;  regi- 
ments of  soldiers  were  constantly  arriving,  clad  in 
fantastic  uniforms,  bearing  banners  adorned  with 
pictures  of  the  rattle-snake,  wearing  caps  upon 
which  the  words  'liberty  or  deatli"  were  printed, 
and  with  huge  bowie  knives  slung  at  their  sides  ; 
the  bar-rooms  were  filled  with  tipsy  patriots  boast- 
ing of  the  ''piles  of  Yankees"  they  were  to  kill 
dail}"  "before  breakfast,"  and  of  the  revels  the}^ 
were  soon  to  hold  'in  Faneuil  Hall ;  the  wildest 
rumors  of  the  most  improbable  things  startled  or 
delighted  the  populace  at  every  moment,  and  a 
species  of  insanity — military  and  political — seemed 
to  possess  the  popular  mind,  and  to  illustrate  itself 
in  the  most  fantastic  performances  and  exaggerated 
manifestations. 

Virginia  had  not  formally  seceded  from  the 
Union,  but  she  had  practically  sided  with  her 
Southern  sisters,  and  her  capital  had  become  the 
focus  of  the  intense  excitement  which  prevailed 
throughout  the  South  and  the  rallying  point  for 


IX    THREE    CONTINENTS.  261 

tlie  fierce  volunteers  who  believed  that  their  mis- 
sion was  to  ''^take  Washington"  forthwith  and  to 
^'annihilate  the  North"  in  a  single  campaign. 

xA.ll  of  this  exaggeration  of  sentiment — this  su- 
perfluity of  "froth  and  foam" — really  surprised 
and  alarmed  me,  for  I  fully  appreciated  the  power 
and  the  earnestness  of  the  great  people  against 
whom  the  South  was  arrayed,  and  I  feared  that 
the  wild  demonstrations  which  I  witnessed  daily 
indicated  an  entire  absence  of  that  appreciation 
upon  the  part  of  those  whose  lives  and  liberties 
were  involved  in  the  approaching  struggle.  Filled 
with  these  misgivings  I  sought  my  relative,  Mr. 
eTames  A.  Seddon — who  subsequently  became  the 
Confederate  war  minister,  and  who  was  a  clear- 
headed man  as  well  as  an  "original  secessionist'' 
— and  expressed  my  apprehensions  to  him.  He 
reassured  me  somewhat  by  answering  in  this  wise: 
"All  great  wars  have  been  ushered  in  by  just  such 
exhibitions.  Human  nature  is  often  fantastic 
when  it  is  most  in  earnest.  It  is  true  that  South- 
ern blood  is  naturally  warm  and  Southern  brains 
impressionable,  bnt  if  you  were  in  Boston  to-day 
you  wonld  see  similar  demonsti-ations.  You  would 
see  people  'taking  the  oath'  after  every  meal^ 
hurrahing  over  'the  old  flag'  at  all  the  street 
corners,  singing  themselves  hoarse  with  'the  Star- 
Spangled  Banner,'  partitioning  off '  Southern  plan- 
tations'  as  if  they  already  owned  them,  and  en- 
gaged, in  fact,  in  an  infinitude  of  senseless  antics 
and  ludicrous  performances.  Both  sides  have  gone 
crazy  with  excitement  and  passion,  but  they  are 
not  the  less  serious  for  all  that.  Remember  that 
Niagara  is  white  with  'foam  and  froth'  just 
where  the  whole  river,  in  a  raging  and  resistless 
flood,  sweeps  over  the  great  boulders  and  through 
the   mighty  caverns  which  encumber  its  channel. 


262  A  doctor's  experiences 

Our  people  are  in  earnest — in  teri^ible  earnest — ] 
assure  you.     They  'mean  figlit,'  and  to  the  bit-] 
ter   end — nothing    less.     While  I  am  not  one  oi 
those  who  underrate  the  courage  and  the  resources] 
of  our  adversaries;  I  see  nothing  in  the  situation  t( 
alarm  and  discourage  me,  and  you  must  not  per-'' 
mit   yourself  to   doubt  the   issue.     We   may  not 
^take  Washington'  or  *burn  Boston/  but  we  shall 
maintain  our  rights  and  conquer  our  indej)endencej 
so  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven." 

To  this  I  answered:  ''  I  hope  sincerely  you  are 
right,  but  you  may  depend  upon  it  the  excitement 
which  now  fills  to  overflowing  the  popular  mind 
and  prompts  to  such  exaggeration  of  senti- 
ment and  excess  of  confidence  will  be  sorely  tried 
before  we  reach  the  end  of  this  matter.  For  my 
own  part,  I  wish  the  doctrine  of  secession  had 
never  been  heard  of,  and  that  our  countrv  could 
have  remained  as  our  fathers  left  it,  prosperous, 
happy  and  united.  But,  as  the  issue  has  been 
made  between  the  two  sectious — thank  God,  by  no 
agency  of  mine — every  sentiment  of  my  nature  and 
aspiration  of  my  soul  is  with  the  land  of  my  birth 
and  the  people  with  whom  I  have  been  reared,  and 
I  would  have  nothing  done  or  left  undone  which 
could  by  any  possibility  rob  us  of  the  victory." 

On  the  succeeding  day  I  saw  Governor  Letcher, 
a,nd  presented  my  letter  asking  for  arms.  I  can- 
not say  that  he  treated  me  rudely,  but  he  declared 
peremptorily  that  he  had  no  muskets  to  spare,  as 
he  needed  all  in  the  State  for  his  own  people.  At 
the  same  time  he  launched  out  into  a  harangue, 
the  gist  of  which  was  that  everything  depended  on 
Virginia,  upon  whose  action  '^the  eyes  of  the 
world  were  turned ' '  and  the  fate  of  the  Confeder- 
acy centered..  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  be 
might  be  a  true  Virginian,  but  that  he  was  not 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  263 

the  man  for  me  to  waste  time  and  breath  upon  ; 
:and  I  bade  adieu  to  his  excellency  as  precipitately 
as  the  rules  of  courtesy  would  allow. 

He  was  a  tall,  gaunt  man,  with  a  rubicund  face, 
and  a  hickory-nut  looking  head ,  upon  which  scarcely 
a  strand  of  hair  was  discoverable.  His  prompt  re- 
fusal of  the  President's  requisition  for  troops  with 
which  to  coerce  the  seceding  States,  and  the  in- 
:fluence  which  he  exerted  with  the  convention  in 
behalf  of  the  ordinance  of  secession,  made  him  popu- 
lar with  his  own  people,  who  still  greatly  revere 
his  memory. 

My  visit  to  Kaleigh  was  much  more  agreeable  in 
itself  and  fortunate  in  its  results.  Governor  Ellis 
received  me  with  cordiality,  and  promptly  granted 
the  request  which  I  bore  to  him.  In  a  word,  he 
acted  like  a  gentleman  and  a  patriot — showing  not 
less  devotion  to  his  own  people  than  sympathy 
with  those  for  whom  I  pleaded.  He  had  married 
Miss  Mary  Daves,  of  New  Berne,  an  old  friend  of 
mine  and  one  of  the  loveliest  women  in  the  State, 
^ad  I  have  always  believed  that  her  kind  interces- 
sion had  something  to  do  with  the  Grovernor's 
prompt  response  in  the  matter  of  the  muskets. 
Five  hundred  rifles  were  packed  to  be  sent  to  Eich- 
mond,  but  the  complexion  of  things  having  materi- 
ally changed  in  the  mean  time,  the  arms  were  turned 
over  to  Mrs.  Bradley  Johnson  for  the  use  of  the 
first  Maryland  regiment  which  organized  under  the 
Confederate  flag.  I  lingered  a  few  days  in  Kaleigh , 
listening  to  the  debates  in  the  convention  on  the 
occasion  of  the  passage  of  the  ordinance  of  secession, 
and  discussing  with  old  friends  the  topic  of  the 
€oming  war,  and  I  then  paid  a  hurried  visit  to  my 
friends  and  family  at  Edenton. 

On  my  return  to  Kichmond,  en  route  to  Baltimore, 
1  met  a   large  number    of  those  whom  I  had  left 


264  A  doctor's  experiences 

there  under  arms,  and  learned  from  them  the  sad 
story  of  the  possession  of  that  city  hy  Butler  and 
his  troops,  the  treason  of  many  who  had  pretended 
to  an  ardent  sympathy  with  the  Southern  cause, 
the  imprisonment  of  the  secession  memhers  of  the- 
Legislature,  and  the  closure  of  all  the  ordinary 
routes  of  travel  leading  to  the  city.  Although  it 
was  my  purpose  to  link  my  fortunes  with  those  of 
the  South  eventually,  I  desired  to  return  to  Balti- 
more in  order  to  make  arrangements  for  a  final 
departure — which  you  can  well  understand,  from 
the  fact  that  I  had  left  my  office  open  with  every- 
thing I  possessed  exposed,  and  that  the  time  was- 
approaching  for  m}^  tour  of  duty  in  the  infirmary 
of  the  University  of  Maryland. 

While  preparing  to  reach  Baltimore  hy  what  was- 
familiarly  styled  the  underground  route — hy  run- 
ning the  blockade  of  the  Potomac,  and  then  clan- 
destinely traveling  through  the  country — I-  was 
astonished  by  the  arrival  of  letters  from  the  authori- 
ties of  the  college,  which  stated  that  they  had  made 
arrangements  with  the  Federal  commander  to  re- 
ceive into  their  hospital  the  sick  and  wounded  of 
his  army.  In  other  words,  that  our  infirmary  had 
heen  transformed  into  a  United  States  hospital,, 
and  that  its  medical  and  surgical  attendants  had 
become  ipso  facto  the  j)aid  agents  of  the  Federal 
Government.  It  was  also  insisted  that  I  should 
return,  in  order  to  assist  in  carrying  out  the  terms- 
of  that  contract. 

I  immediately  answered  to  the  effect  that  I  re- 
garded the  contract,  with  the  service  it  entailed,  as- 
not  less  insulting  to  me  than  ruinous  to  the  school ; 
that  they  had  neither  the  legal  nor  the  moral  right 
to  use  property  in  which  I  had  chartered  rights  for 
such  a  purpose  without  my  previous  knowledge  and 
consent ;     that   although    as    a    matter    of    pure 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  265 

humanity  I  was  willing  to  give  my  professional 
services  to  sick  and  wounded  men  without  consider- 
ingtheir  antecedents  or  connections,  I  could  not  do  so 
as  a  matter  of  business  and  for  a  pecuniary  consider- 
ation without  becoming  particeps  criminis  with  those 
whose  mission  was  to  murder  and  to  rob  my  own 
people  ;  that  in  view  of  the  facts  of  the  case  I  per- 
emptorily refused  to  assist  in  carrying  out  their 
contract  with  the  Federal  authorities,  and  that 
when  I  did  return — as  I  hoped  to  do  in  time  to  re- 
sume my  regular  course  of  lectures,  and  with  a 
victorious  army — I  should  leave  the  question  at 
issue  to  the  arbitrament  of  the  Southern  men  who 
accompanied  me  to  Baltimore,  as  they  could  best 
appreciate  my  feelings  and  take  in  the  whole  situa- 
tion. 

A  few  days  afterward  I  received  anotlier  letter, 
in  which  I  was  threatened  with  expulsion  if  I  did 
not  resume  my  duties  in  the  institution  by  the  10th 
day  of  May — a  date  which  had  already  passed  when 
the  communication  reached  me. 

Notwithstanding  this  threat,  no  action  was  taken 
against  me  until  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
when  it  was  made  evident  that  I  would  never  ''re- 
turn with  a  victorious  army" — the  fate  of  the  Con- 
federacy having  been  sealed  upon  that  fatal  field. 

An  application  was  then  made  to  the  board  of 
visitors^  which  body  alone  had  the  right  to  declare 
a  chair  vacant,  to  displace  me  upon  the  ground  of 
my  prolonged  absence,  or,  in  other  words,  connec- 
tion with  the  Confederate  army.  But  though  com- 
posed mainly  of  Union  men,  the  board  declined  to 
take  action  in  the  case,  when  my  colleagues, 
without  the  shadow  of  legal  authority  or  the  form 
of  an  impeachment,  formally  deposed  me,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  election  of  my  successor.  Such  was 
my  punishment  for  having  repudiated  this   obnox- 


266  A  doctor's  experiences 

ious  contract  with  the  Federal  authorities,  and  for 
having  served  a  cause  for  which  they  professed  the 
deepest  sympathy. 

This  question  having  thus  been  disposed  of  I 
hastened  to  Kaleigh  and  offered  my  services  to  my 
native  State,  feeling  that  though  I  had  sacrificed 
my  property  and  my  position,  I  had  preserved  my 
honor  and  had  vindicated  my  independence  of  char- 
acter in  the  course  pursued. 

The  secretary  of  state,  Mr.   Warren   Winslow, 
was  de  facto  the  executive  of  North   Carolina,   as 
the  failing  health  of  the  governor  prevented  him 
from    giving  attention  to    public    affairs,    and    he 
proved  himself  a  most  intelligent  and  efficient  offi- 
cer. _  Among  the  plans  which  he  elaborated  for  the 
public  defense  was  one  for  the   organization   of  a 
small  navy  in  the   sounds    along  the  coast,  which 
was  accomplished  by  equipping  a  number  of  steam- 
boats and  sailing  vessels,  and  placing  them  under 
the  command  of  the  officers  who  had  resigned  from 
the  United  States    Navy.     Of  this    organization  Ij 
was  made  surgeon-in-chief,  with  orders  to  report  tol 
Captain  Murphy,  at  Portsmouth,  North  Carolina, ' 
where  a  naval  station  had  been  established. 

After  four  months  of  uneventful  service  on  the 
coast,  and  just  in  time  to  escape  capture  at  Hatteras, 
I  left  for  Eichmond  in  order  to   obtain  a  position 
in  the  Confederate  army,  as  I  was  weary   of  inac- 
tion and  desired  some  real  surgical  work.     Indeed, 
my  occupation  was  gone,  as  the   ''North  Carolina 
navy"  had  been  turned  over  to  the  Confederacy. 
^  Speaking  of  Hatteras  reminds  me  of  my  expe- 
rience there  and  of  the  mementoes    of  it  which  I 
brought  away  with  me.     Just  at  the  point  where i 
the  ocean  and  the  sound  approach  nearest  to  each: 
other  and  a  shallow  inlet    then    existed,  two   forts 
had  been  built  and  a  battalion  was  stationed.    The 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  26T 

human  mind  can  scarcely  conceive  of  tlie  loneli- 
ness and  desolation  of  the  place.  Imagine^  if  you 
can,  a  narrow  strip  of  land  interposed  between  two 
great  wastes  of  water — one-half  consisting  of  a 
bog  with  a  few  stunted  trees  and  shrubs  scattered 
over  its  surface  and  peopled  with  innumerable  frogs 
and  snakes,  and  the  remainder  composed  of  sand 
so  impalpable  as  to  be  lifted  in  clouds  of  dust  by 
every  passing  breeze,  and  you  will  have  some  idea 
of  the  topography  of  that  God-forgotten  locality. 
I  went  there  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  which  I  made 
as  brief  as  possible,  I  assure  you,  for  in  addition  to 
the  desolation  to  which  I  have  referred  the  mos- 
quitoes held  possession  of  it  by  day  and  night, 
blackening  the  air  by  their  presence,  and  making 
it  vocal  with  their  eternal  hum.  A  sable  cloud 
composed  of  myriads  of  these  insects,  and  visible 
for  a  considerable  distance,  hovered  over  the  head 
of  every  living  thing  that  stood  or  walked  upon 
that  dreary  shore^  and  while  one  laborer  worked 
upon  the  fortifications  another  had  to  stand  by  him 
with  a  handful  of  brush  to  keep  bird  from  being 
devoured  by  them.  The  poor  mules  looked  as  if 
they  had  been  drawn  through  key-holes  and  then 
attacked  with  eruptions  of  small-pox.  Sleep  could 
only  be  had  by  stuffing  one's  ears  with  cotton 
and  enveloping  the  entire  body  in  blankets,  and 
even  then  it  was  difficult  to  escape  the  search  of 
these  voracious  and  insatiable  blood-suckers.  Luck- 
ily the  surgeon  in  charge  had  been  given  a  bunk 
on  a  little  steamer  moored  some  distance  from  the 
shore,  while  he  had  provided  himself  with  a  double 
netting,  and  though  he  shared  both  bunk  and  net- 
ting with  me  I  found  on  the  succeeding  morning 
that  my  face  and  hands  were  covered  with  an  erup- 
tion which  resembled  that  of  a  full  blown  varicella. 
Such  were  the  mementoes  which  I  carried  from 
Hatteras  and  retain  still  in  my  memory. 


268  A  doctor's  experiexces 


LETTER   XV III.  « 

WAR  EXPEEIEXCES.  1 

My  Dear  Doctor:  1 

I  found  tilings  greatly  changed  in  Richmond, 
It  had  become  the  seat  of  the  Confederate  govern- 
mentj  and  the  confusion  and  extravagance  of  other 
days  had  given  place  to  order  and  calmness.  The 
soldiers  in  transitu  seemed  more  determined  ancal 
less  demonstrative  than  their  predecessors  ;  fewer 
people  were  in  the  streets  and  more  in  the  service ; 
the  bar-rooms  were  comparatively  deserted,  and 
every  one  looked  the  embodiment  of  sobriet)^ ;  and 
in  a  word,  the  influence  of  military  discipline  and 
the  effect  of  the  actual  shock  of  battle  could  be 
seen  upon  all  classes  and  in  every  direction.  The 
battle  of  Manassas  had  just  been  won,  and,  though 
it  evoked  a  feeling  of  profound  satisfaction  among 
all  classes,  it  rather  quelled  than  stimulated  that 
spirit  of  intense  self-confidence  and  supreme  con- 
tempt for  the  foe  from  which  I  had  augured  so  un-. 
favorably  on  my  first  visit.  i 

It  was  felt  that  Southern  valor  had  triumphed 
over  immense  odds,  but,  in  the  presence  of  thei 
long  list  of  the  dead  and  wounded  which  the  rec 
ord  of  the  fight  revealed,  there  came  the  realiza 
tion  that  the  '^  march  to  Boston,"  which  an  ex- 
cited people  had  so  wildly  raved  about,  was  no 
holiday  excursion  or  boyish  pastime.  It  is  true 
that  the  demand  for  a  forward  movement — for 
taking    advantage    of    the    victory    and    j)^6ssing 


.1 

1 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  269 

on  to  the  National   capital — was  universal,  but  it 
I  was  felt  that  tlie  army  liacl  serious  work  before  it, 
■  and  that  the  people  of  the  North  were  booked  for  a 
long  and  a  desperate  fight. 

It  delighted  me  to  find  that  this  awakening  to 
reason — this  realization  of  the  situation— had  come 
already,  for,  to  my  mind,  it  was  the  death  of  an 
infatuation  which  invited  and  entailed  disaster, 
and  the  birth  of  a  sentiment  which  was  the  earnest 
and  the  assurance  of  ultimate  victory. 

The  hospitals  were  filled  with  the  sick  and 
wounded,  and  it  cheered  my  heart  to  find  that  all 
deficiencies  as  regards  means  and  materials  for 
their  treatment  were  compensated  for  by  the  ten- 
der care  with  which  the  ladies  of  the  city  watched 
and  nursed  them.  It  seems  to  me  that  those  were 
most  fortunate  who  did  not  survive  that  memora- 
ble epoch  in  the  history  of  the  war,  for  they  went 
to  their  final  rest  ministered  to  by  loving  hands, 
believing  that  they  were  heroes  and  martyrs,  and 
in  the  full  assurance  that  the  ''bonny  blue  flag" 
was  destined  to  wave  victoriouMy  over  a  happy  and 
independent  people. 

I  was  presented  to  the  President  by  the  Hon. 
Robert  H.  Smith,  of  Alabama — my  father's  former 
pupil,  and  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  Confeder- 
ate Congress — who  immediately  had  me  commis- 
sioned a  surgeon  in  the  army  ;  and  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day  I  was  ordered  by  the  surgeon-general 
to  report  for  duty  at  the  University  of  Virginia. 

I  had  heard  much  complaint  against  the  gov- 
ernment for  its  failure  to  order  a  forward  move- 
ment immediately  after  the  victory  at  Manassas, 
and  it  was  not  until  I  reached  Charlottesville  and 
ascertained  the  actual  condition  of  the  army  that  I 
learned  to  appreciate  the  true  reason  of  its  appar- 
ent supineness. 


270  A  doctor's  experiences 

The  army  was,  literally,  in  a  state  of  disorgan- 
ization, in  consequence  of  the  immense  number  of 
its  sick  and  wounded  and  because  of  the  impotency 
of  its  medical  organization. 

Although  more  than  two  weeks  had  elapsed 
since  the  battle,  large  numbers  of  disabled  soldiers 
were  still  being  sent  from  the  field  or  its  vicinity, 
most  of  whom  had  received  only  the  scantiest  at- 
tention, while  many  of  their  comrades  in  the  hos- 
pitals were  actually  in  a  dying  state  from  the  want 
of  operations  which  should  have  been  performed 
immediately. 

In  the  town  of  Charlottesville  alone — scattered 
through  hotels,  private  houses,  public  halls,  and 
wherever  a  blanket  could  be  spread — there  were 
more  than  twelve  hundred  cases  of  typho-malarial 
fever.  In  fact,  from  what  I  could  gather,  the 
whole  country,  from  Manassas  Junction  to  Rich- 
mond in  one  direction,  and  to  Lynchburg  in  an- 
other, was  one  vast  hospital,  filled  to  repletion  with 
the  sick  and  wounded  of  Beauregard's  victorious 
army.  The  unusual  percentage  of  wounded  was 
due  to  the  circumstance  that  the  battle  had  been 
fought  in  the  open  field  and  decided  by  a  succes- 
sion of  brilliant  charges  against  an  enemy  which 
fought  with  desperate  courage  and  tenacity. 

The  great  amount  of  sickness  was  attributable  to 
the  fact  that  the  force  eno:ao:ed  was  almost  exclu- 
sively  composed  of  delicately-reared  young  men, 
who  were  incaj^able  of  sustaining  the  hardships 
incident  to  camp  life,  supplemented  by  the  entire 
absence  of  such  appliances  as  are  essential  to  the 
comfort  of  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  by  an  utter 
neglect  of  the  laws  of  sanitation  and  hygiene. 
While  possessed  by  the  excitement  incident  to 
their  new  careers,  they  forgot  their  corporeal  exist- 
ence, and   gave  no  heed  to  its  demands  or  neces- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  271 

sities,  but  reaction  came  with  victory,  and  they 
succumbed  to  its  debilitating  influences.  It  re- 
sulted, therefore,  that  for  many  weeks  regiments 
which  had  contained  their  full  complement  of  seem- 
ingly vigorous  men,  were  so  disintegrated  and  dis- 
organized as  to  render  it  impossible  for  the  army 
to  reap  the  fruits  of  a  victory  which  its  valor  had 
so  fairly  won. 

In  speaking  of  the  inefficiency  of  the  medical 
department  of  that  period,  I  do  not  mean  to  cast 
the  slightest  reflection  upon  the  individuals  who 
composed  it ;  for  more  competent,  devoted  and  pa- 
triotic men  never  honored  any  service.  I  only  mean 
to  imply  that  they  were  small  in  number,  deficient 
in  organization,  and  unsupplied  with  such  mater- 
ials as  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  demanded. 
Besides,  there  were  questions  of  rank,  precedent, 
,«cope  of  duty  and  obligations,  relations  between 
State  and  Confederate  authority,  and  a  thousand 
important  problems,  of  which  no  solution  had  then 
been  attempted,  and  without  a  settlement  of  which 
there  necessarily  resulted  both  embarrassment  and 
inefficiency.  Having  been  hastily  improvised  as  a 
corps,  and  being  left  to  crystallize  of  itself  without 
the  adventitious  assistance  of  fixed  methods  and 
definite  regulations,  it  was  immediately  called 
upon  to  face  a  responsibility  unprecedented  in  the 
magnitude  of  its  proportions  and  the  infinitude  of 
its  requirements  ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  medical  staff  of  the  army  found  itself  con- 
fused, embarrassed  and  paralyzed  on  that  occasion. 

How  the  questions  to  which  I  have  referred  were 
eventually  settled,  and  what  noble  work  for  science, 
humanity  and  ''the  cause"  was  accomplished  in 
the  end  under  the  influence  of  the  master,  spirits 
who  controlled  it — under  the  tutelage  of  Moore, 
Guild,  Ford,  McGuire,  Coleman,  Hammond,   Sor- 


272  A  doctor's  experiences 

rell,  Gaillarcl,  Smith,  Owens,  Haywood,  Campbell 
Cliopin,  Logan  and  other  surgeous  of  like  genius 
and  equal  patriotism — I  will  leave  to  the  coming 
historian  of  the  great  struggle  to  chronicle,  con- 
tenting myself  with  the  assertion  that,  when  the 
story  shall  be  faithfully  written,  one  of  its  proudest 
pages  will  be  reserved  for  the  services,  the  sacrifices 
and  the  triumphs  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  Con^ 
federate  Army.  ^ 

I  had  a  surfeit  of  surgical  experience  in  my  new 
field  of  labor,  for  I  found  myself  in  the  presence  of 
wounds  of  every  description  and  of  all  degrees  ofi 
gravity.  I  performed,  consequently,  a  great  num 
ber  of  operations  and  treated  an  endless  variet}^  of 
complications — the  development  of  which  you  can 
well  understand  in  view  of  the  circumstances 
which  I  have  already  explained. 

I  recently  received,  through  the  American 
Minister  residing  in  Paris,  the  last  volume  of  the 
Surgical  History  of  the  Rebellion  (sic,)  which  the 
authorities  at  Washington  have  prepared  and  pub- 
lished, and,  in  looking  over  it,  I  find  an  account 
of  one  of  my  own  operations,  which  I  will  reproduce 
in  these  pages,  as  it  is  interesting  in  itself  and 
because  of  its  associations  : 

''  Private  T.  H.  Wolf,  company  D,  4th  Virginia, 
had  his  femur  shattered  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run 
by  a  musket  ball  which  traversed  the  upper  part  of 
the  thigh  in  an  antero-posterio  direction,  and  strik- 
ing the  femur  four  inches  below  the  trochanters, 
shattered  it  quite  to  the  neck.  The  patient  was  re- 
moved to  Charlottesville  University  of  VirginiaJ 
and  was  received  in  the  general  hospital  at  thai; 
place  on  July  24th.  The  fracture  was  treated  by| 
Smith's  anterior  suspensory  splint,  and  this  mode^i 
of  dressing  proved  very  serviceable  for  a  time.i 
The  inflammatory  phenomena  did  not  abate,  how-^ 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  273 

ever,  and  after  four  weeks  it  was  decided  that  tlie 
removal  of  the  limb  at  the  coxo-!'emoral  articulation 
alone  afforded  a  hope  of  saving  the  patient's  life. 
On  August  21st  the  operation  was  performed  by 
Brigadier-General  Edward  Warren,  Surgeon-Gen- 
•eral  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  rapidly  executed 
by  the  double-flap  method,  with  inconsiderable 
hemorrhage.  On  the  following  day  there  was 
sligb  t  hemorrhage.  Death  from  exhaustion  ensued 
on  August  23,  1861,  thirty  hours  after  the  opera- 
tion. The  constitutional  condition  of  the  patient 
was  unfavorable,  and  he  was  suffering  from  col- 
liquative diarrhoea." 

How  the  narration  of  this  case  recalls  the  inci- 
dents of  those  memorable  days!  1  can  see  befo.re 
me  the  great  rotunda  filled  with  hastily-con- 
structed beds,  bearing  the  forms  of  brave  boys  who 
had  fought  and  suffered  for  their  country's  sake; 
the  weeping  women  keeping  vigils  over  their  own 
loved  ones  or  ministering  to  "somebody's  darling" 
dying  far  away  from  the  friends  who  loved  him  ; 
the  surgeons  and  their  assistants  moving  through 
the  wards,  now  uttering  a  word  of  cheer,  or  pre- 
paring for  an  operation,  or  shaking  their  heads 
omniously  as  the  cases  before  them  suggested ; 
and  the  faithful  negro  attendants  bearing  carefully 
and  sorrowfully  away  all  that  remained  of  the 
martyrs  who  had  so  recently  left  their  homes, 
filled  with  martial  ardor,  and  dreaming  of  the  hour 
when  they  would  return,  crowned  with  the  wreaths 
4jf  victory.  And  I  recall  with  especial  distinctness 
poor  Wolf,  to  whose  case  the  reference  has  been 
made,  and  whose  nameis  thus  destined  to  be  linked 
with  my  own  while  the  surgical  history  of  the  war 
shall  remain.  He  was  a  country  boy,  who  at  the  first 
tap  of  the  drum  had  left  the  plough  in  the  furrow 
18 


214:  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  hurried  to  the  front — to  receive  his  death- wound 
in  the  first  battle  of  the  war. 

At  first  his  vigorous  constitution,  sustained  by  a 
brave  and  self-reliant  spirit,  seemed  equal  to  the 
demand  made  upon  its  vitality  by  the  profuse  sup- 
]3uration  which  ensued.  But  gradually  symptoms 
of  septic  poisoning  appeared,  and  in  the  hectic 
flush^  the  yellow  conjunctiva,  the  rapid  emaciation, 
the  vicissitudes  of  temperature,  and  the  colliqua- 
tive diarrhoea  which  presented  themselves,  I  recog- 
nized a  crisis  which  presented  the  alternatives  of 
certain  death  without  surgical  interference,  and  the 
barest  possibility  of  saving  his  life  by  the  removal 
of  his  limb  at  the  hip  joint.  A  consultation  was 
held,  and  it  was  unanimously  determined  that  these 
fearful  alternatives  should  be  frankly  presented  to 
the  patient  in  order  that  he  might  decide  between 
them.  Few  tasks  have  fallen  to  me  more  painful 
than  that  which  constrained  me  to  inform  this 
vouno;  man  of  how  near  he  was  to  death,  and  of 
what  little  hope  remained  of  rescuing  him,  even  by 
invoking  all  the  resources  of  surgery.  He  received 
the  announcement  like  a  hero.  A  few  tears  trickled 
down  his  wasted  cheeks,  and,  taking  my  hand 
tenderly  in  his,  he  said  :  "I  am  not  afraid  to  die, 
doctor,  but  am^Dutate  for  my  mother's  sake,  for  she 
would  like  to  see  her  boy  again."  I  felt  that  I 
would  give  my  right  arm  to  save  him,  and  I  re- 
solved that  nothing  should  be  wanting  to  make  the  i 
operation  itself  a  success.  I  removed  the  limb  in 
three  minutes,  and  first  compressed  and  then  li- 
gated  the  vessels  so  effectually  as  to  lose  only  a 
teacup  of  blood,  and  for  thirty  hours  I  remained  at 
his  side  watching  every  symptom,  and  endeavoring 
to  meet  it.  For  the  first  fifteen  hours  everything 
Avent  well,  and  my  heart  began  to  thrill  with  hope; 
and  exultation.     Suddenly  a  slight  capillary  hem- 


m    THREE   CONTINENTS.  275 

orrliage  occurred,  and  although  it  was  immediatel}'" 
arrested  by  the  application  of  cold  compresses,  a 
condition  of  depression  resulted  which  gradually 
deepened  into  a  collapse,  and  the  poor  fellow 
breathed  his  last  a  few  hours  afterward.  Had  I 
known  then  as  much  as  I  do  now  of  the  value  of 
the  transfusion  of  blood,  I  should  have  resorted  to 
it  as  affording  another  chance  at  least  to  the  poor 
fellow  in  his  dire  extremity,  for  I  have  since  wit- 
nessed wonderful  results  from  it  in  the  most  des- 
perate circumstances.  As  I  write  these  lines  Paris 
is  threatened  with  an  invasion  of  cholera,  and 
should  it  arrive  I  am  resolved  to  treat  such  cases  as 
may  fall  into  my  hands  by  introducing  morphia 
and  sulphuric  ether  hypodermically,  administering 
oxygen  gas  by  inhalation,  and  transfusing  the 
blood  of  some  healthy  individual. 

Of  course  I  had  no  reason  to  be  surprised  at  the 
fatal  conclusion  of  this  hip-joint  operation.  Under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances  the  mortality  from 
it  is  very  great.  All  of  the  operations  of  this  char- 
acter performed  by  the  English  surgeons  in  the 
Crimea  terminated  fatally,  while  of  the  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-three  cases  collected  by  Otis  from 
the  statistics  furnished  by  all  countries,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  died  and  only  sixteen  recovered, 
giving  a  ratio  of  mortality  of  91.2  per  cent. 

The  conduct  of  the  wounded  excited  my  most 
profound  admiration.  A  sentiment  of  genuine 
heroism  pervaded  those  southern  boys  which  w^as 
simply  sublime.  Each  regarded  himself  as  a  mar- 
tyr to  a  holy  cause,  and  seemed  proud  of  the  blood 
which  he  had  shed  for  it  and  even  of  the  death 
which  he  was  called  upon  to  die  in  its  behalf.  Un- 
der the  spell  of  this  patriotic  enthusiasm  there  was 
no  murmuring  because  of  the  want  of  comforts  and 
conveniences,  or  over    the   fate    which   condemned 


276  A  doctor's  experiences 

them  to  suffering  and  to  mutilation,  or  at  the  de- 
cree which  hanished  them  forever  from  home  and 
friends  and  comrades,  but  with  brave  hearts  and 
smiling  countenances  they  met  their  doom,  sus- 
tained by  the  reflection  that  they  had  done  their 
duty  like  men  and  soldiers — that  they  had  fought 
and  bled  for  the  land  which  they  loved. 

I  was  likewise  delighted  with  the  manner  in 
which  the  professors  demeaned  themselves.  Some 
of  them  had  entered  the  army  at  the  first  call  for 
volunteers,  and  were  ''  at  the  front"  when  the  ava- 
lanche of  wounded  and  dying  men  overwhelmed 
the  University,  but  those  who  remained  behind 
acted  well  their  part  in  this  trying  emergency. 
Their  devotion  to  the  suffering  soldiers,  their  cour- 
tesy to  the  medical  officers  on  duty  and  their  sym- 
pathy for  those  who  came  in  search  of  their  stricken 
relatives  well  illustrated  the  virtues  which  have 
so  long  distinguished  the  Virginia  people,  and  es- 
tablished for  themselves  proud  reputations  as  pa- 
triots and  humanitarians.  Thev  welcomed  every 
Confederate  soldier  as  a  friend,  and  nursed  hitn  | 
with  absolute  fidelity  and  tenderness,  wdiile  their 
private  houses  were  thrown  open  and  a  hospitality 
was  dispensed  from  them  which  knew  neither  limit 
nor  discrimination.  Having  known  me  in  my 
student  days  their  reception  was  most  cordial,  and 
the  recollection  of  it  has  always  been  a  green  spot 
in  my  memory.  I  particularly  recall  the  courtesy 
extended  to  me  by  Professors  Davis,  Minor  and 
Scheie  de  Yere,  and  while  leaving  the  record  of 
my  gratitude  to  them  I  can  but  express  a  regret 
that  the  opportunity  has  never  occurred  for  a  prac- 
tical manifestation  of  my  appreciation  of  their 
kindness. 

Among  the  University  soldiers    two    especially 
distinguished   themselves.      I    refer    to    Professor 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  277 

Charles  Venable  and  to  Professor  Lewis  M.  Cole- 
mau — the  former  a  colonel  .on  General  Lee's  staff, 
and  the  latter  the  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  1st  Vir- 
ginia regiment  of  artillery.  No  man  in  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  saw  more  of  active  service 
or  commanded  a  larger  share  of  the  confidence 
of  its  great  leader  than  Colonel  Venable,  and  he 
still  lives,  an  ornament  to  his  alma  mater,  an  honor 
to  the  land  of  his  nativity,  and  one  of  the  brightest 
lights  in  the  world  of  science.  Unfortunately 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Coleman  sealed  his  devotion  to 
the  cause  in  his  life's  blood,  but  not  until  he  had 
exhibited  qualities  as  a  soldier  not  less  conspicu- 
ous than  those  which  in  private  life  rendered  him 
a  model  as  a  teacher  and  a  paragon  as  a  gentle- 
man. 

Colonel  Venable  was  one  of  my  classmates,  and 
afte,r  a  friendship  of  more  than  thirty  years'  dura- 
tion I  can  but  bear  emphatic  testimony  to  the  gen- 
iality of  his  disposition,  the  loyalty  of  his  charac- 
ter, and  the  depth  and  grasp  of  his  intellect.  One 
of  the  most  pleasant  incidents  of  my  life  abroad 
has  been  a  visit  which  he  recently  made  to  Paris. 
How  "  the  old  time  came  over  me"  when  I  saw 
again  his  smiling  face  and  heard  his  merry  laugh 
and  listened  to  the  stories  of  college  days,  and  of 
the  good  fellows  we  had  known  and  loved  when  we 
were  boys  together.  What  a  flood  of  memories 
his  very  name  unsealed,  recollections  of  the  dreams 
of  youth,  of  the  struggles  of  manhood,  of  the  in- 
cidents of  the  times  which  tried  men's  souls,  and 
of  the  faces  and  forms  of  those  who  were  once  so 
full  of  hope  and  promise,  but  who  have  been  sleej)- 
ing  many  a  long  year  beneath  the  sod  !  To  meet 
hitn  thus  in  this  land  of  strangers  after  so  many 
years  of  separation  was  a  source  of  infinite  pleas- 
ure— it  was  like  the  continuation  of  some  interest- 


278  A  doctor's  expepjexces 

ing  story,  the  reading  of  which  had  been  broken  off 
in  the  "  lang  syne." 

I  was  not  80  intimately  acquainted  with  Colonel 
Coleman,  but  I  knew  him  well  enough  to  appreciate 
his  character  and  to  mourn  his  loss. 

With  his  brother,  Dr.  Robert  Coleman,  I  was  on 
intimate  terms  for  many  years — from  our  first 
meeting  at  the  University  in  1850  to  his  death  in 
February  last,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  excuse  me 
for  paying  a  passing  tribute  to  his  memory. 

The  two  brothers,  Lewis  and  Robert  Coleman, 
were  of  a  type  which  is  especially  Virginian,  and 
they  resembled  each  other  wonderfully  in,  mind, 
character  and  person.  As  I  knew  Robert  he  was 
above  the  medium  height,  but  so  redundant  of  adi- 
pose as  to  appear  below  it.  His  head  was  large, 
symmetrical,  and  covered  with  curling  flaxen  hair; 
his  face  was  like  the  moon  at  full  term,  and  was 
illuminated  by  the  brightest  of  blue  eyes  and  the 
sunniest  of  smiles,  and  his  voice  was  at  once  deep, 
sonorous  and  peculiarly  sympathetic.  His  flow  of 
spirits  was  spontaneous  and  irresistible  ;  his  wit 
was  as  bright  as  a  blade  of  Damascus  and  as  trench- 
ant ;  his  intellect  was  equally  logical  and  rhetori- 
cal ;  his  thoughts  instinctively  weaving  themselves 
into  a  chain  of  iron  which  seemed  only  a  wreath 
of  flowers,  and  his  bosom  was  a  nursery  in  which 
all  kindly  sentiments  and  generous  impulses  and 
exalted  virtues  grew  in  the  richest  luxuriance.  I 
never  knew  him  to  have  an  enemy,  for  calumny 
seemed  to  recognize  him  as  a  mark  too  exalted  for 
its  shafts,  while  malignity  transformed  itself  into 
admiration  under  the  spell  of  his  frank  and  chival- 
rous spirit.  Alike  in  public  positions  and  in  pri- 
vate relations,  the  inherent  loyalty  of  his  nature 
loomed  up  so  conspicuously — made  itself  so  felt 
and  appreciated — that  every  man  who  was  brought 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  279 

into  contact  with  him  esteemed  it  an  honor  to  be 
called  his  friend  and  a  badge  of  respectability  to 
possess  his  confidence. 

Such  was  Robert  Coleman,  and  so  he  will  be  re- 
membered— an  honor  to  the  State  which  he  loved 
to  idolatry,  to  the  profession  whose  noblest  attri- 
butes he  illustrated,  and  to  that  Christianity  which 
he  gloried  in  professing.  He  acted  well  his  part 
on  earth  and  he  has  gone  to  receive  his  reward  in 
heaven. 

Among  my  professional  colleagues  was  a  gentle- 
man who  bore  an  honored  name,  and  upon  whom 
nature  had  also  impressed  the  stamp  of  her  true 
nobility.  I  refer  to  Dr.  Orlando  Fairfax,  who 
had  left  his  extensive  practice  and  his  comfort- 
able home  in  Alexandria  to  devote  himself  to  the 
oause  of  the  Confederacy.  His  father  was  right- 
fully Lord  Fairfax,  but,  being  an  American  citi- 
zen, he  followed  the  tradition  of  his  family  and 
never  claimed  the  title,  though  it  is  still  recognized 
in  the  Peerage  of  England.  It  is  said  that  "blood 
will  tell,"  and  it  never  expressed  itself  more  dis- 
tinctly than  in  the  courtly  bearing,  the  noble  sim- 
plicity and  the  fidelity  to  the  requirements  of  duty 
which  distinguished  Dr.  Fairfax.  I  regret  to 
record  that  he  w^s  called  upon  to  bear  a  great  af- 
fliction during  the  war  in  the  loss  of  his  son  Ran- 
dolph, a  most  promising  young  man,  who  served 
with  conspicuous  gallantry  as  a  private,  and  was 
killed  by  a  fragment  of  the  same  shell  which  gave 
Colonel  Coleman  his  death  wound. 

I  met  also  for  the  first  time  that  rara-avis  in  the 
field  of  Southern  medicine,  a  female  physician,  in 
the  person  of  Miss  Moon,  a  native  of  Albemarle 
County,  Virginia,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Woman's 
Medical  College  of  Philadelphia.  She  was  a  lady 
of  high  .character   and   of  fine   intelligence,   and, 


280  A  doctor's  experiences 

though  she  failed  to  distinguish  herself  as  a  phy- 
sician, she  made  an  excellent  nurse,  and  did  good 
service  in  the  wards  of  the  hospital.  Unfortun- 
ately for  her  professional  prospects  she  fell  in  love 
v^ith  one  of  our  assistant  surgeons,  and  compro- 
mised matters  hy  marrying  him  and  devoting  her- 
self to  the  care  of  her  own  habies — like  a  sensible 
woman.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  the  position  of  this- 
young  lady,  with  much  of  native  modesty  and  re- 
finement in  her  composition,  in  a  hospital  of 
wounded  soldiers,  and  with  only  medical  officers 
as  her  companions,  and  you  will  have  eliminated 
a  most  potent  argument  against  the  inappropriate- 
ness  of  a  woman  becoming  a  doctor.  In  my  hum- 
ble judgment,  no  one  possessing  a  womb  or  en- 
dowed with  the  attributes  of  femininity  ought  to 
dream  of  entering  the  ranks  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion, and  Dr.  Moon's  experience  at  Charlottesville 
teaches  a  lesson  in  this  regard  which  her  aspiring 
sisters  would  do  well  to  heed  and  appreciate. 

The  possibility  of  matrimony  and  the  probabil- 
ity of  maternity — the  ends  for  which  women  were 
created — raise  a  barrier  in  the  pathway  of  those 
who  would  thus  enter  upon  the  domain  of  medicine^ 
which  they  should  regard  as  nature's  protest  against 
their  intrusion.  In  a  word,  women  were  made  not 
to  administer  drugs  nor  to  amputate  limbs  nor  to 
engage  in  the  arduous  and  exciting  incidents  of  a 
doctor's  career,  but  to  fill  the  sacred  role  of  sister, 
wife  and  mother — to  render  homes  happy,  and  ta 
sustain,  cheer  and  comfort  men  in  the  struggle  of 
life. 

I  also  had  the  pleasure  of  renewing  my  acquaint-  ' 
ance    with    Mr.    William    Wirtenbaker,    who    for 
more  than  thirty  years   was    the    college  librarian 
and  the  secretary  of  the  faculty.     He  was  a    char- 
acter sui  generis,  and  yet  as  good  and  loyal  a  man ; 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  281 

as  ever  lived.  He  loved  the  books  under  his  charge 
as  if  they  were  his  children,  and  he  watched  over 
them  as  tenderly.  He  could  give  the  history  of  all 
who  had  attended  the  various  schools,  and  could 
recite  iucidents  of  their  college  lives  which  even 
they  had  forgotten.  He  remembered  the  name  and 
the  physiognomy  of  every  matriculant,  and  he 
could  recognize  and  locate  him  without  re- 
gard to  the  date  of  his  matriculation.  He  had 
signed  the  diplomas  of  a  large  majority  of  the 
graduates,  and  he  watched  the  careers  of  "  his 
boys"  with  intense  solicitude,  rejoicing  in  their 
triumphs  or  grieving  at  their  misfortunes,  as  if 
they  were  his  own.  Louis  XIV  gave  expression  to 
his  royal  egotism  in  the  memorable  words  '^  Vetat 
c'est  moi,"  and  the  old  librarian,  in  the  intensity 
of  his  devotion  to  the  institution  and  the  innocent 
vanity  of  his  guileless  nature,  believed  that  he  and 
the  University  were  one,  and  he  habitually  spoke 
and  acted  as  if  the  identification  was  complete. 
He  certainly  loved  it  more  than  himself,  and  would 
willingly  have  sacrificed  his  life  to  advance  its  in- 
terests. In  this  sense,  and  notwithstanding  his  loy- 
alty to  his  section,  it  nearly  broke  his  heart  to  see 
its  sacred  halls  converted  into  hospitals,  and  filled 
with  regiments  of  wounded  soldiers  rather  than 
with  throngs  of  enthusiastic  students.  He  re- 
solved consequently  that  one  department  at  least 
should  maintain  its  integrity  despite  of  war's 
alarms  and  obligations,  and,  true  to  the  habits  of  a 
life-time,  he  daily  walked  with  stately  tread  to  the 
library  and  went  on  duty  there  as  if  the  school  were 
in  full  blast  and  nothing  had  occurred  to  interrupt 
the  current  of  its  curriculum. 

His  sons  graduated  with  distinction  in  the  Uni- 
versity and  fought  gallantly  in  their  country's 
cause.  One  fills  a  soldier's  grave  in  the  college 
cemetery,  another  achieved  a  reputation  during  th 


282  A  doctor's  experiences 

war  whicli  has  since  made  him  a  leading  man  in 
Virginia,  and  all  have  done  honor  to  the  good  old 
man  from  whom  they  inherited  that  strict  con- 
scientiousness and  devotion  to  duty  which  were  the 
predominating  traits  of  his  character. 

He  lived  to  be  an   octogenarian,  and   died   only 
recently,  universally  honored  and  lamented. 

So  soon  as  I  reached  Charlottesville  I  sent  for 
m}^  family  and  located  them  at  Carr's  Hill,  a  beau- 
tiful spot  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Univer- 
sity. We  were  delightfully  situated  there,  as  the 
house  was  commodious,  the  grounds  were  beautiful 
and  the  company  was  select  and  charming.  Under 
the  same  roof  was  the  Fairfax  family,  and  the 
Misses  Gary,  of  Baltimore,  two  lovely  girls  who 
distinguished  themselves  by  their  devotion  to  the 
South.  The  elder  of  these  sisters.  Miss  Hettie, 
married  G-eneral  Pegram,  one  of  the  bravest  sol- 
diers produced  by  the  Confederacy,  and  wore  the 
weeds  of  widowhood  before  her  orange  flowers  had 
faded.  The  first  time  that  I  ever  heard  the  soul-  ■ 
inspiring  words  of  "My  Maryland"  they  were 
sung  by  her,  and  as  her  voice  was  exquisite,  her 
bosom  aglow  with  patriotic  fervor,  and  her  face 
radiant  with  the  rarest  beauty,  the  song  inspired 
and  entranced   me  beyond  expression.  i 

She  has  remarried  after  a  protracted  widowhood 
and  many  an  earnest  protest  against  it,    and,    for  ^ 
one,  I  wish  her   the    fullest  measure   of  happiness 
in  return  for  the  pleasure  which   she    gave    me  by 
singing  ''My  Maryland"  at  Carr's  Hill  in   '62. 

You  have  often  heard  me  speak  with  enthusiasm^ 
of  Professor  John  Staige  Davis,  of  the  University 
of  Virginia,  and  I  should  be  an  unreliable  histor- 
ian if  I  failed  to  refer  to  him  in  this  connection. 
He  has  grown  older  of  course  since  we  separated 
in  1850,  but  his  heart  has  not  changed  in  the  least 
■degree.      Taking  him  for  all  in  all,   I   have  never 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  283 

known  a  better  man  or  a  more  attractive  lecturer. 
No  one  has  done  more  to  add  to  the  popularity  of 
the  University  or  to  maintain  its  high  character  as 
a  school  of  learning  than  he.  I  have  never  met 
with  a  physician  who  had  studied  at  the  University 
without  finding  him  a  warm  friend  and  an  enthu- 
siastic admirer  of  Dr.  Davis,  and  I  have  yet  to 
hear  the  first  word  of  criticism  or  censure  respect- 
ing him. 

He  held  a  surgeon's  commission  during  the  war, 
and  many  a  suffering  soldier  has  reason  to  thank 
heaven  for  the  blessing  of  his  skillful  treatment 
and  his  faithful  ministrations. 

He  is  yet  spared  to  give  credit  to  his  alma  mater, 
to  add  dignity  to  his  profession,  and  to  do  honor 
to  Virginia — the  land  of  his  birth  and  the  home 
of  his  warmest  affections — and  I  sincerely  hope  that 
many  years  of  usefulness  and  happiness  are  still 
reserved  for  him. 

Professor  John  B.  Minor,  in  utrumque  ijaratuSy 
devoted  himself  to  the  care  of  the  stricken  sol- 
diers and  the  consolation  of  their  sorrowing  friends, 
and  won  from  both  a  meed  of  praise  and  gratitude 
which  will  prove  a  crown  of  honor  while  the  record 
remains^ 

Professor  James  L.  Cabell,  the  surgeon  in  charge, 
discharged  the  onerous  duties  of  his  position  with 
unfaltering  zeal  and  conspicuous  ability,  and 
thus  added  fresh  luster  to  the  reputation  which  lie 
had  already  won  as  a  teacher,  a  scientist  and  a 
gentleman. 

In  a  word,  there  was  no  faltering  upon  the  part 
of  any  one,  and  all — whether  male  or  female, wdiite 
or  black — who  had  work  to  do,  did  it  nobly  and 
faithfully.  The  Southern  people  can  never  forget 
the  services  rendered  to  them  by  the  University  of 
Virginia  in  that  sad  hour  of  their  suffering  and 
affliction . 


284  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XIX. 

WAE  EXPEEIEXCES. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

After  several  months  of  service  at  the  University 
and  when  only  fever  cases  remained  for  treatment^ 
I  became  weary  of  the  life  there  and  applied  for  new 
orders.  Fortunately  I  had  won  the  confidence  of 
Surgeon  L.  Gruild,  an  officer  of  distinction  who  had 
resigned  from  the  United  States  Army,  and  of 
whom  I  shall  have  much  to  say  hereafter,  and 
through  his  kind  offices  I  was  transferred  to  Rich- 
mond, and  made  a  member  of  a  board  of  inspec- 
tion and  supervision  of  which  he  was  president. 

The  other  members  of  this  board  were  Surgeon  I 
F.  Sorrell  and   Surgeon  J.   P.    Logan — two    thor- 
ough D^entlemen  and  accomplished  physicians. 

It  was  our  daily  duty  first    to  visit   and   inspect 
the  hospitals  of  Richmond,  and  then  to  devote  our- 
selves to  the  examination  of  all   soldiers    who  had; 
been  recommended  for   furlough   or    discharge   by 
the  medical  officers  in  the  field. 

This  work  was  exceedingly  onerous,  and  yet  I 
was  delighted  with  it,  both  because  of  the  agree-j 
able  society  of  my  colleagues  and  of  the  amount' 
of  practical  experience  which  it  afforded,  as  we 
were  brought  in  constant  contact  with  tl\e  wounded 
and  had  an  opportunity  of  operating  whenever  we 
thought  proper. 

The  Spottswood  Hotel,  at  which  I  lived  with  my 
wife  and  child,  was  the  chief  rendezvous  of  the  offi- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  285 

cers  and  officials,  and  T  had  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing much  of  the  society  of  the  Confederate  court. 
I  have  neither  the  space  nor  the  inclination  to  draw 
a  picture  of  the  social  life  of  Richmond  during  the 
early  days  of  the  war,  and  I  will  content  myself 
with  the  observation  that  there  is  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply of  human  nature  in  men  and  women  wherever 
they  are  found  and  whatever  may  be  the  circuui- 
stances  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  Jealousy, 
too,  was  born  with  the  primeval  man  or  more  prob- 
ably with  the  original  woman,  and  it  will  only 
die  with  the  last  "  survivor."  Resurgawt  has 
been  its  motto  from  the  beginning,  and  so  it  will 
be  to  the  end,  in  defiance  of  revolutions,  whether 
political,  social  or  what  not.  If  heart  burnings 
were  somewhat  indulged  in  and  gossip  did  ''un- 
fold its  tale"  occasionally,  they  were  amply  atoned 
for  by  the  display  of  virtues  which  should  have 
done  honor  to  any  race  or  epoch,  and  by  the  per- 
formance of  deeds  upon  which  heaven  will  smile 
•approvingly  while  the  record  endures. 

The  devotion  which  the  women  of  the  South  dis- 
played for  "the  cause"  and  the  attentions  which 
they  lavished  upon  the  sick  and  wounded  ha^^e  no 
parallel  in  history.  These  attentions,  though  ori- 
ginating in  the  purest  motives,  were  sometimes 
carried  to  extremes,  interfering  with  the  surgeon's 
duties  and  militating  against  the  best  interests  of 
the  patient.  Quite  an  amusing  story  was  told  at 
the  time  ajyropos  of  this  excess  of  zeal  and  super- 
fluity of  ministrations.  It  was  circulated  in  the 
form  of  a  dialogue  between  a  sympathetic  lady  and 
a  wounded  soldier,  and  as  such  I  will  reproduce  it 
here  : 

Sympathetic  lady  :  "  My  dear  young  man,  will 
you  let  me  wash  vour  face  this  mornino:  ?" 


286  A  doctor's  experiences 


Wounded  soldier  :  "I  am  very  tired  and  sleepy^ 
Please  don't  disturb  me." 

Sympathetic  lady  :  ''  But  I  do  feel  so  much  for 
you,  my  poor  boy,  and  I  want  so  much  to  wash 
your  face,  just  this  once." 

Wounded  soldier  :  "But  my  wound  pains  me^ 
and  I  would  like  to  be  let  alone." 

Sympathetic  lady  :  "I  must  do  something  for 
yon  and  for  '  the  cause ;'  do  let  me  wash  your  face  for 
your  mother's  sake." 

Wounded  soldier  :  "Well,  madam,  if  you  insist 
upon  it,  wash  away,  but  you  are  just  the  sixteenth 
lady  who  has  washed  my  face  to-day,  and  all  for 
my  mother's  sake." 

And,  carried  away  by  her  enthusiasm,  she 
washed  his  face,  believing  that  she  was  doing  God's 
service  by  the  act. 

Of  course  it  was  almost  sacrilegious  thus  to  make 
a  jest  of  so  holy  a  thing  as  woman's  sympathy  for 
the  afflicted,  but  soldiers  are  the  gayest  of  human 
beings,  and  their  propensity  to  laugh  at  every- 
thing, even  amid  the  most  solemn  surroundings^ 
seems  to  be  absolutely  irresistible.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  this  I  will  tell  one  of  Governor  Vance's 
stories  :  He  relates  that  once  having  heard  a. regi- 
ment which  was  in  line  of  battle,  and  momentarily 
expecting  an  attack,  give  way  to  the  loudest  shouts 
and  the  wildest  merriment,  he  stopped  a  ragged 
veteran  who  was  passing  by,  and  asked  what  was 
"  the  meaning  of  all  the  rumpus   over  the  way?"| 

"  Well,  now,  you  see/'  replied  the  soldier, "  I  haint' 
been  thereabouts,  and  I  cant  zackly  tell^  but  I  reckon 
as  how  them  boys  is  either  flushed   up  a  ^'  molly- 
cotton-tail'  (the  popular  name  for  a  rabbit)  or  old 
Stonewall  is  a  j)assing  by." 

But,  seriously  the  kindness  displayed  by  the 
women  of  the  South  toward  the  soldiers  of  the  Con 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  28T 

federacy  was  most  beautiful — was  sublime.  With- 
out regard  to  the  danger  incurred,  to  the  severity  of 
the  service  involved,  or  to  the  sacrifice  demanded, 
they  were  always  prepared  to  minister  to  the  sick 
and"^  wounded  compatriots,  and  with  a  fidelity  which 
is  without  a  precedent  in  the  annals  of  warfare. 

Nearly  twenty  years  have  passed  since  those 
noble  deeds  were  done,  and  many  who  participated, 
in  them  are  now  saints  in  heaven,  but  their  coun- 
try alike  in  the  days  of  its  ruin  and  of  its  recupera- 
tion has  kept  the  fires  of  gratitude  brightly  burn- 
ing in  their  memory,  as  it  will  delight  to  do 
throughout  the  coming  generations,  until  the  last 
wave  of  time  has  broken  upon  the  shores  of  eter-  ^ 
nity. 

After  several  months  of  work  in  Richmond  I 
was  sent  for  by  the  surgeon-general  and  offered  a 
pc\sition  on  a  medical  examining  board  which  he 
was  about  to  establish  in  North  Carolina. 

Love  for  my  native  State  has  always  been  a  part 
of  my  religion,  and  as  agreeably  situated  as  I  was 
in  Richmond  I  eagerly  embraced  the  opportunity 
to  return  to  North  Carolina,  and  to  serve  her 
people. 

In  a  short  time,  therefore,  I  found  myself  installed 
at  Goldsborough,  doing  duty  on  this  board,  in 
association  with  Dr.  Wyatt  M.  Brown,  a  brother 
tar  heel  and  a  splendid  fellow,  and  two  others 
whose  names  I  will  not  give  for  reasons  which  will 
appear  in  the  progress  of  this  narrative. 

Our  business  was  to  examine  all  medical  officers 
serving  in  the  department,  and  such  medical  men 
as  desired  positions  in  the  army.  This  work, 
though  pleasant  enough  in  itself,  was  rendered  ex- 
ceedingly disagreeable  because  of  the  insane  preju- 
dice which  the  chairman  of  the  board  entertained 
against  North   Carolina,  and  of  his  morbidly   irri- 


288  A  doctor's  experiences 

table  temper — the  result  I  think  of  chronic  dys- 
pepsia. He  only  knew  of  the  standard  of  attain- 
ment existing  in  the  old  army,  and  he  voted  gen- 
erally against  those  who  failed  to  come  up  to  its 
requirements,  especially  if  they  chanced  to  be  North 
Carolinians.  As  a  large  majority  of  the  appli- 
cants had  served  for  a  long  time  in  the  field,  where 
text-books  could  not  be  obtained,  they  were  neces- 
sarily deficient  in  technicalities  and  details,  and 
hence  the  application  of  so  rigid  a  test  as  that  in- 
sisted upon  by  the  chairman  was  not  only  unfair 
per  se,  but  was  calculated  to  deprive  the  army  of 
many  of  its  best  medical  officers.  The  seances  of 
the  board  were  consequently  only  a  series  of  dis- 
putes, in  which  Dr.  Brown  and  I  were  arrayed  on 
the  side  of  liberality  and  common  sense,  while  the 
other  members  adhered  to  exacting  an  impossible 
standard  of  the  United  States  Army,  ,  &: 

It  so  happened  that  once  every  week  our  morbid 
associate  took  a  dose  of  purgative  medicine  and 
that  on  the  succeeding  day  he  was  usually  sorae- 
Avhat  less  disagreeable  to  his  associates  and  rather 
more  lenient  toward  those  who  presented  themselves 
for  examination.  We  endeavored  therefore — in  the 
interest  of  peace  and  justice — to  persuade  him  that 
the  condition  of  his  health  demanded  the  exhibi- 
tion of  a  daily  cathartic,  but  the  spirit  of  antagon- 
ism was  so  rampant  in  his  bosom  that  he  not  only 
refused  to  take  our  advice,  but  gave  up  his  weekly  | 
pill  of  aloes  and  colocynth  as  well — to  the  infinite 
annoyance  of  his  colleagues  and  the  sorrow  of  every 
candidate  who  came  forward  during  that  period  of 
protracted  constipation  and  morbid  irritability.       |j 

All  this  was  unpleasant  enough  in  itself,  but  ir 
was  rendered  the  more  intolerable  by  the  fact  that 
we  were  without  redress  or  remedy,  and  were  com- 
pelled to  submit  to  his  prejudices  and  peculiarities. 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.       ^  289 

Luckily,  the  enforced  absence  of  his  coadjutor 
finally  gave  us  the  majority,  and  saved  the  medical 
corps  of  the  department  from  disgrace  and  deci- 
mation 

Having  received  information  that  New  Berne 
was  about  to  be  attacked,  we  obtained  authority  to 
visit  it  in  order  to  render  assistance  to  the  wounded. 
We  slept  at  the  Gaston  House,  and  were  awakened 
early  by  heavy  firing  in  the  distance,  but  finding 
it  impossible  to  obtain  conveyances  to  the  battle- 
field— which  was  about  four  miles  from  the  town 
and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river — we  went 
to  the  Academy,  where  the  medical  director  had 
established  his  head-quarters. 

The  firing  continued,  increasing  in  violence  and 
distinctness  continually,  and  the  wounded  soon  be- 
gan to  arrive.  As  we  were  busily  engaged  with 
the  work  before  us,  and  the  reports  from  the  field 
were  favorable,  we  never  dreamed  of  danger  to 
ourselves  or  to  those  under  our  charge.  Suddenly 
a  shell  of  large  caliber  exploded  in  such  close  prox- 
imity to  the  hospital  that  some  of  the  fragments 
struck  its  roof. 

"  My  Grod,"  cried  the  medical  director,  '^the 
fleet  has  passed  the  obstructions  and  is  shelling  the 
town  ;  we  shall  all  be  killed,"  and  rushing  to  the 
door,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  fled  precipitately. 

Some  of  the  surgeons  became  demoralized  for  a 
moment,  and  seemed  disposed  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample, but  placing  myself  against  the  door,  I  pro- 
tested against  their  departure  most  emphatically. 
This  decisive  action  had  the  desired  effect.  They 
immediately  returned  to  their  work  and  assured  me 
of  their  determination  to  stand  by  it  to  the  last 
extremity-— and  they  did  so.  We  then  went  to  the  • 
iront  door  to  reconnoiter,  and  witnessed  a  scene 
which  is  stamped  indelibly  upon  my  memory. 
19 


290  A  doctor's  experiences 

A  portion  of  the  town  was  in  flames,  and  vol- 
umes of  dense  smoke  darkened  the  air  ;  the  streets 
were  filled  with  fugitives,  some  mounted,  others  on 
foot,  rushing  madly  toward  the  station  ;  women 
and  children  were  pouring  out  of  the  houses^  wring- 
ing their  hands,  crying  '^fire"  and  uttering  the 
Avildest  shrieks  ;  and  eveything  was  in  a  state  of 
utter  chaos  and  confusion.  | 

Just  at  that  moment  a  train  of  open  cars,  laden  * 
with  commissary  stores,  and  under  the  charge  of 
an  officer  with  whom  I  chanced  to  be  acquainted ^ 
came  moving  slowly  from  the  direction  of  the 
battle-field,  and  stopped  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
hospital 

Rushing  to  this  officer,  I  told  him  of  the  flight 
of  the  director,  and  earnestly  implored  permission 
to  place  the  wounded  upon  the  train  in  order  to 
prevent  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  He  kindly  consented,  informing  me  at  the 
same  time  that  only  a  small  force — a  single  de- 
tachment of  marines  from  the  gun-boat  which  had 
passed  the  obstructions — was  actually  in  the  town, 
but  that  our  troops  were  in  full  retreat,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  enemy.  Improvising  stretchers  from 
doors  and  window-blinds,  and  seizing  some  wheel- 
barrows which  happened  to  be  convenient,  I  soon 
had  the  wounded  placed  upon  the  cars,  and  made 
as  comfortable  as  the  circumstances  would  allow 
upon  mattresses  and  under  blankets  taken  from  the 
hospital.  Before  I  could  get  upon  the  train,  how- 
ever, it  suddenly  moved  off,  and  I  was  left  amid 
the  throng  of  frightened  and  fleeing  fugitives. 
Hurrying  along  with  the  rest,  I  arrived  at  the  de- 
pot only  in  time  to  see  the  last  train  disappear  in 
the  distance,  and  to  find  myself  apparently  deprived 
of  all  means  of  escape.  Just  as  I  regarded  my 
capture  as  certain,  I  had  the  good  luck  to  find   a 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  291 

riderless  horse — a  long-legged,  raw-bony  gray^ 
which  some  soldier  had  abandoned  for  a  place  upon 
the  train — and  climbing  into  the  vacant  saddle,  I 
dashed  out  of  town,  with  my  dyspeptic  confrere 
mounted  behind  me  and  at  a  speed  which  would 
have  told  in  the  Derby  or  the  Grand  Prix. 

The  scene  upon  the  road  beggars  description — it 
was  the  comhle  of  all  that  is  expressed  in  the  word 
panic.  For  miles  1  encountered  a  confused  mass  of 
officers,  soldiers  and  civilians,  mingled  indiscrimi- 
nately together — some  without  coats,  others  hat- 
less,  and  a  majority  having  no  arms — in  a  state  of 
utter  demoralization  ;  women  and  children  hurry- 
ing helter-skelter  on  foot  or  in  every  possible- 
vehicle,  frightened  nearly  out  of  their  wits  ;  and 
carts,  wagons,  carriages  and  conveyances  of  ever}^ 
imaginable  description  and  condition,  laden  with 
household  goods — the  Lares  and  Penates  of  manj^ 
a  ruined  family — hurrying  along  as  fast  as  their 
lashed  and  imprecated  teams  could  drag  them  ; 
while  the  earth  was  strewn  with  arms,  accouter- 
ments,  hats,  uniforms,  domestic  utensils  and  here 
and  there  a  jaded  man  and  a  foundered  horse. 
Every  few  moments  the  cry  would  sweep  along  the 
disjointed  line  :  ''  The  Yankee  cavalry  is  coming," 
and  the  surging  mass  would  make  a  still  more 
'desperate  effort  to  increase  its  pace,  or  would  scat- 
ter into  the  bushes  on  either  side  of  the  road  like 
a  covey  of  frightened  partridges. 

A  panic  must  be  witnessed  and  participated  in  ta 
be  appreciated,  and  even  then  it  cannot  be  described. 
The  men  who  were  thus  flying  in  terror  from  an 
imaginary  danger — for  the  enemy  possessed  no 
cavalry,  and  never  dared  to  leave  the  town — proved 
eventually  the  bravest  soldiers  the  world  ever 
saw.  From  the  Valley  to  Appomattox  they  left  a 
record  of  their  heroism  which  the  nations  have  re- 


292  A  doctor's  experiences 

gardecl  with  admiration,  and  their  own  people  will 
treasure  as  the  most  precious  of  heir-looms. 

Panics  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  species  of 
emotional  insanity  temporally  affecting  masses, 
under  the  influence  of  which  manhood  succumbs, 
reason  is  silenced,  and  the  fear  of  death  predom- 
inates to  the  exclusion  of  every  other  sentiment  and 
consideration. 

I  can  only  express  the  hope  that  it  may  never  be 
my  misfortune  to  witness  another,  and  certainly  not 
to  be  called  on  to  participate  in  one,  for  I  have  had    j 
sufficient  experience  in  that  line  to  last  for  a  life- 
time— with  a  lap  for  the  '^  other  side  of  Jordan"  of  ^j 
no  insignificant  proportions.  fl| 

When  about  six  miles  from  New  Berne  I  had  the  1^ 
good  fortune  to  overtake  a  confrere  traveling  in  a 
buggy  drawn  by  a  fine  team  of  horses,  and  I  gladly 
accepted  an  invitation  to  take  a  seat  with  him, 
leaving  the  well-blown  charger  to  the  sole  posses- 
sion of  my  fellow-passenger,  the  aforesaid  chairman 
of  the  medical  examining  board. 

At  Kinston,  thirty  miles  from  New  Berne,  I 
stopped  for  the  night,  all  fear  of  the  '^Yankee 
cavalry"  having  departed,  and  on  the  succeeding 
day  traveled  by  tram  to  Goldsborough,  which  I 
found  filled  to  repletion  with  fugitives  from  the 
fight,  who  in  some  mysterious  way  had  managed 
to  make  better  time  than  the  locomotive  and  to  ar- 
rive in  advance  of  me.  Among  the  recent  arrivals 
was  the  fugacious  medical  director,  who  it  seems 
was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  the  town,  bringing  with 
him  marvelous  stories  of  his  own  gallant  conduct 
under  fire  and  of  the  capture  and  destruction  of  his 
comrades — the  entire  retreating  army  of  General 
Branch. 

On  the  following  day  General  Joseph  R.  Ander- 
son assumed  command  of  the  department,  and  one 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  293 

of  his  first  acts  was  to  issue  a  general  order  in 
which  he  alluded  in  complimentary  terms  to  my 
conduct  at  New  Berne,  and  named  me  "^  acting 
medical  director  of  the  Department  of  Cape  Fear." 

In  the  summer  of  1862,  while  still  on  duty  at 
Goklsborough,  business  carried  me  to  Kichmond, 
where  I  found  everything  in  a  state  of  excitement 
because  of  the  attack  which  General  Lee  proposed 
to  make  on  General  McClellan,  who  was  then  in- 
vesting the  city.  I  called  at  once  on  my  old  friend 
Surgeon  Guild,  and  was  received  with  every  mani- 
festation of  pleasure.  "  I  am  delighted  to  see  you, 
Warren,  "he  said.  "Thefightwillbeginto-morrow, 
and  I  am  ordered  to  organize  an  'operating  corps' 
and  to  proceed  to  the  field  with  it.  You  must  go 
with  me.  I  will  take  no  refusal."  ''  Refusal,  in- 
deed!" said  I;  "nothing  will  give  me  mo  re  pleasure. 
Only  tell  me  where  1  can  get  a  horse  and  I  am  at 
your  service."  "As  for  that,  there  will  be  no  • 
difficulty.  Charles  Bell  Gibson  is  to  accompany  me, 
and  as  he  will  drive  one  of  his  horses  I  will  get 
him  to  lend  the  other  to  you."  I  then  took  up  my 
quarters  with  him,  and  we  devoted  ourselves  to 
making  necessary  arrangements — calling  upon 
various  surgeons  to  accompany  us,  and  collecting 
such  instruments,  stores  and  appliances  as  were  re- 
quired for  the  service. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  next  day  we  started  for 
the  field,  taking  the  Chicahominy  road,  and  riding 
as  far  as  our  last  battery  on  the  Richmond  side  of 
the  river.  As  the  route  was  a  long  one,  and  every- 
thing tranquil  in  the  various  camps  which  we 
passed,  it  happened  that  first  one  surgeon  and  then 
another  dropped  behind,  either  overcome  by  fatigue 
or  under  the  impression  that  there  would  be  no 
fighting  that  day.  When  we  reached  the  battery, 
consequently,  only  Surgeon  Guild,  Surgeon  Cren- 


294  A  doctor's  experiences 

shaw  and  myself  constituted  the  party  of  ^^  special 
operators." 

Just  as  we  rode  up  the  report  of  a  gun  was  heard 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river^.  and  G-eneral  D.  H. 
Hill,  springing  upoQ  the  parapet,  gazed  earnestly 
and  anxiously  in  the  direction  from  which  it  had 
<come.  A  moment's  glance  seemed  to  satisfy  him, 
and  waving  his  hand  to  his  couriers,  they  dashed 
off  to  announce. as  we  soon  discovered  the  supposed 
arrival  of '' Stonewall"  Jackson  from  the  Valley, 
and  to  summon  the  troops  to  join  in  the  precon- 
-certed  attack  upon  the  enemy. 

Two  batteries  of  artillery  under  the  command  of 
Duke  Johnston — an  old  college-mate  and  a  gallant 
soldier — were  the  first  to  get  into  position,  and  un- 
limhering  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Mechanics-, 
viile,  they  began  to  play  upon  the  astonished 
€nemy. 

The  road  was  immediately  thronged  with  troops 
liurrying  eagerly  to  the  ''  front"  to  take  part  in  the 
iight,  and,  as  they  belonged  principally  to  D.  H. 
Hill's  division,  which  had  only  recently  served  in 
]S!'orth  Carolina,  I  received  a  friendly  salutation 
from  nearly  every  officer  and  soldier  who  passed 
by.  Finally  Colonel  Gaston  Mears,  of  Wilming- 
ton, accompanied  by  several  other  officers,  rode  up 
and  said  to  me  :  ^'  Dr.  Warren,  we  are  delighted 
to  see  you  here.  Only  our  assistant  surgeons  are 
with  us,  as  our  surgeons  with  their  ambulances  are 
an  the  rear,  and  apparently  have  not  been  informed 
of  what  is  going  on  ;  you  must  come  along  and 
look  after  us  if  we  are  wounded."  ^'Certainly," 
said  I,  ''it  will  give  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to 
accompany  you,"  and  turning  to  Dr.  Guild,  I 
asked  his  permission  to  cross  the  river  with  the 
troops.  "  You  have  no  business  over  there,  War- 
ren," he  answered,    "and  you   will   certainly  get 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  295 

killed  if  you  go ;  for  the  enemy  is  shelling  the  road 
from  the  bridge  to  the  town,  as  you  can  see  for 
yourself."  "But  I  must  go,  whatever  the  risk," 
I  pleaded  ;  ''for  these  men  are  my  compatriots  and 
my  personal  friends,  and  they  have  appealed  to  me 
to  stand  by  them."  ''Well,  if  you  are  determined 
to  sacrifice  your  life  I  will  go  with  you,"  was  the 
brave  and  loyal  response  of  the  coming  medical 
director  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

We  therefore  took  our  places  in  the  rear  of  the 
advancing  column,  and  followed  it  over  the  bridge. 
After  running  the  gauntlet  of  the  road  we  reached 
a  point  beneath  the  hill  where  the  troops  were  be- 
ing formed  preliminary  to  a  charge  upon  the  ene- 
my's line  at  Ellison's  mill,  and  where  we  found 
General  Lee  and  his  staff.  He  was  engaged  in 
conversation  when  we  rode  up,  but  immediately 
afterward,  attracted  by  some  wounded  men  from 
the  batteries  on  the  hill,  he  turned  to  his  aide  de 
€amp,  Colonel  Charles  Marshall* — an  old  college 
friend,  and  one  of  the  best  and  bravest  officers  in  the 
army  —  and  asked:  "Is  there  a  medical  officer 
present?"  "Yes,  General,  here  is  Dr.  Warren," 
was  Colonel  Marshall's  reply.  General  Lee  then 
turned  to  me  and  said  :  "I  need  a  medical  director, 
and  you  must  act  as  such,  as  you  seem  to  be  the  only 
medical  officer  available.  I  shall  have  the  order  is- 
sued at  the  first  practicable  moment."  For  an  in- 
stant my  brain  reeled  from  excitement  and  gratifi- 
cation, for  this  was  a  promotion  above  all  that  I 
had  dreamed  of — it  was  the  offer  of  the  highest 
medical  position  in  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia, 


*  Colonel  Marshall  is  a  grandson  and  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  Chief- Justice  Marshall,  of  Virginia.  He  bore  oft'  the 
highest  honors  of  the  University,  greatly  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  war,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Balti- 
more bar.     We  have  been  warm  friends  for  thirtv  vears. 


296  A  doctor's  experiexces 

and  it  meant  the  identification  of  my  name  with 
that  of  its  great  commander  while  history  is  to  be 
read.  But,  thank  Grod  !  there  was  a  sentiment  in 
my  heart  stronger  than  its  ambition^  and  potent 
enough  to  keep  me  in  the  path  of  rectitude  and 
honor.  I  knew  that  Guild  was  entitled  to  the  posi- 
tion, and  remembering  that  he  was  my  friend  and 
benefactor,  afeer  a  moment's  struggle  with  myself 
I  said  to  General  Lee  :  "I  should  be  only  too  proud 
and  happy  to  serve  you — to  be  the  medical  director 
of  this  army — but  Dr.  Guild  is  here,  and  he  is  en- 
titled to  the  promotion."  "You  are  right,  sir,  I 
know  Dr.  Guild  very  well.  Where  is  he?"  was 
his  response.  "Only  a  few  paces  in  the  rear  ;  we 
came  into  the  field  together,  and  he  has  halted  a 
moment  to  speak  to  a  friend.  I  will  bring  him  at 
once,"  I  answered,  as  Dr.  Guild  appeared  upon  the 
scene,  unconscious  of  the  honor  in  store  for  him, 
and  saluted  the  general.  General  Lee  greeted  him 
warmly,  for  they  were  old  comrades,  and  said  to 
him :  "I  need  a  medical  director,  and  I  name  you 
for  the  position.  Get  to  work  immediately  and 
make  your  arrangements  for  some  heavy  fighting." 
"  Many  thanks,  General,  I  w^ll  do  my  best  to 
merit  your  approbation,"  was  Guild's  reply.  Then 
turning  to  me  he  asked:  "What  position  do  you 
desire,  Warren?"  "Any  position  that  will  keep 
me  with  you  and  give  me  a  chance  to  see  service 
and  to  do  something,"  I  answered.  Turning  to 
the  General  he  said  at  once  :  "  With  your  permis- 
sion. General,  I  will  make  my  friend  Dr.  Warren 
the  medical  inspector  of  the  army."  General  Lee 
bowed  in  acquiescence,  and  thus  by  one  of  those 
strange  freaks  of  fortune  which  have  so  frequently 
surprised  and  startled  me  in  life  I  found  myself 
suddenly  elevated  to  the  second  position  of  honor 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  29T 

ind  responsibility  in  the  medical  staff  of  the  Army 
)f  Northern  Vir*ginia. 

There  hangs  upon  my  office  wall,  framed  elabor- 
itely  and  treasured  fondly,  a  dilapidated  paper- 
writing,  which  runs  in  this  wise  : 

Battle-Field,  June  2T,  1862. 
Special  Order  No.  3. 

^  Surgeon  E.  Warren  is  detailed  for  duty  as  medi- 
cal inspector  of  the  hospitals  of  Northern  Virginia, 
and  will  make  daily    reports    of  the    condition    of 
these  hospitals  to  tbe  medical  director. 
By  order  of  General  Lee. 

L.  Guild,  Surgeon  C.  S.  A., 

Medical  Director. 

This  order  was  written,  as  you  will  perceive,  upon 
the  "battle-field"  itself,while  cannon  were  belching 
forth  their  deadly  breath  and  bayonets  were  flash- 
ing in  the  lurid  sunlight,  and  the  shouts  of  charg- 
ing battalions  were  filling  the  air,  and  death  was 
holding  high  carnival  around  us  ;  and  alike  from 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  promulgated 
and  the  associations  which  cluster  around  it,  it 
possesses  for  me  a  value  which  cannot  be  computed 
in  figures  expressed  in  language.  Above  the  fir- 
man of  the  Khedive  of  Egypt  and  the  decree  of 
the  President  of  the  Kepublic  of  France — beyond 
all  the  orders,  medals  and  diplomas  of  which  I 
have  been  the  recipient — I  prize  this  simple  sheet 
of  soiled  and  time-molded  paper,  with  the  scarcely 
legible  words  which  are  written  upon  it,  and  I 
have  carried  it  in  triumph  with  me  in  all  my  wander- 
ings, and  I  shall  leave  it  to  my  children  as  my 
proudest  and  richest  legacy. 

Dr.  Guild  turned  to  me  immediately   and  said  : 
••In  God's  name,  Warren,  what  am  I  to   do?     I 


298  A  doctor's  experiences 

know  nothing  of  the  medical  organization  of  the 
army.  I  have  not  seen  a  surgeon  or  an  ambulance 
since  I  left  Richmond,  and  it  is  now  nearly  night, 
with  a  terrible  fight  on  hand."  '''It  is  an  embar- 
rassing position,"  I  answered,  "  but  there  must  be 
a  way  out  of  it.  The  assistant  surgeons  with  the 
attacking  regiments  will  certainly  send  their 
wounded  to  Mechanicsville,  and  you  had  better 
ride  there  at  once  and  assume  charge  of  them.  I 
remember  having  seen  about  two  miles  in  the  rear 
at  least  fifty  ambulances  parked  around  an  old 
barn,  and  I  have  no  doubt  the  surgeoais  are  there 
awaiting  orders.  I  will  go  for  them  and  order 
them  up."  ''All  right.  Go  for  them  at  once,  and 
then  join  me  as  quickly  as  possible,"  he  replied. 

Putting  spurs  to  my  horse  I  dashed  ofP  like  the 
wind  in  search  of  the  absent  surgeons,  and,  luckily, 
met  them  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
bridge,  as  they  had  heard  the  firing  and  were  has- 
tening toward  it  in  obedience  to  an  instinctive  sense 
of  duty.  Without  waiting  for  them  I  returned 
and  joined  Guild,  who  was  already  at  work,  and 
who  was  delighted  at  seeing  me  again,  especially 
as  I  was  the  bearer  of  intelligence  that  greatly  re- 
lieved his  anxiety  and  embarrassment. 

I  had  hardly  arrived  when  an  aide-de-camp  from  I 
General  Lee  rode  up,  with  orders  to  the  medical 
director  to  give  only  the  first  care  to  the  wounded 
at  Mechanicsville  and  then  to  transfer  them  with 
all  possible  dispatch  to  ambulance  trains  which 
awaited  on  the  Central  railroad  to  transport  them 
to  Richmond  ;  and  in  so  doing;  to  avoid  the  road 
over  which  the  troops  were  to  advance  on  the  next|| 
morning. 

The  entire  night  was  spent  in  sending  parties  to 
the  field  in  search  of  the  wounded,  in  giving  those 
who  where  brought  in  -such  attention  as  was  abso- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  299 

lately  necessary^  and  then  in  transporting  them  as 
rapidly  as  possible  to  the  trains  just  referred  to. 
JThe  reason  of  this  order,  so  far  as  it  related  to  the 
jinimediate  transfer  of  the  wounded,  though  not 
iapparent  at  the  moment,  became  conspicuously  evi- 
dent shortly  afterward,  and  in  a  manner  which 
left  a  lasting  impression  upon  my  mind. 

Just  before  dawn  a  major-general  and  his  suite 
rode  up  to  the  principal  hospital,  gave  their  horses 
}(to  the  couriers,  and  stretched  themselves  upon  the 
floor  of  the  piazza,  hoping  to  obtain  some  repose 
[after  the  labors  of  the  night.     Having  sent  the  last 
■wounded  man  to  the  rear,  and  being   utterly  ex- 
hausted from  the  combined  effects  of  excitement  and 
overw^ork.  Dr.  Guild  and  I  followed  their  example, 
making  a  couch  of  the  door-step,  as  the  atmosphere 
of  the  house  itself  was  oppressive  with  heat   and 
odors.     A  few  moments  of  profound  silence  elapsed, 
when  just  as  there  was   light   enough   to    render 
surrounding  objects  visible,  we  heard  the  report  of 
a  musket  followed  by  the  thud  of  a  conical  ball  as  it 
'struck  the  house  immediately  above  our  heads.    This 
[seemed  to  be  the  signal  for  a  general  attack  upon  the 
building,  for  the  enemy,  not  having  been  dislodged 
jby  the  assault  of  the  previous  evening — as  Greneral 
;  Lee  knew  when  he  gave  the  order  for  the  removal  of 
the  wounded — immediately  opened  fire  upon  it  with 
[artillery  and  musketry  at  short  range.     The  effect 
was  terrific.     In  an  instant  one  ot  the  couriers  was 
killed,  several  trees  in  the  yard  were  shattered,  a 
chimney  came  tumbling  down  about  us,  fragments 
of  the  roof  flew  in  every  direction,  and  the  building 
was   rendered   almost   a  wreck.     Rushing    to  our 
horses,  and  mounting  them  rapidly,  we  fled  for  our 
lives,  first  through  the  dense  wood  in  the  rear,  and 
then  over  the  open  field,  until  we  came  to  the  main 
road  at  the  Chicahorainy  bridge.     The  first  person 


300  A  doctor's  experiences 

encountered  there  was  General  Lee,  who,  with  his 
staff,  was  riding  in  the  direction  of  the  scene  of  the 
previous  engagement.  A  smile  played  over  the  old 
man's  countenance  when  he  observed  our  plight 
and  precipitation,  and  as  we  drew  in  our  foaming 
horses  and  saluted  him  respectfully,  he  asked  most 
blandly  :  "  Why  so  hurried  this  morning,  gentle- 
men?" Hearing  a  clatter  behind  us  at  this  moment, 
I  turned  and  saw  the  general  who  had  made  the 
piazza  his  bed  chamber  a  little  while  before,  accom- 
panied by  his  staff  officers  and  couriers,  approach- 
ing through  the  field  at  a  pace  fully  as  great  as 
ours  had  been,  and  quietly  pointing  to  him,  I  re- 
plied:  "  G-eneral  L.  is  in  command,  and  he  will 
explain  everything." 

As  we  had  dispatched  the  last  wounded  man  to> 
tlie  rear,  and  had  nothing  further  to  do  at  Mechanics- 
ville,  it  would  have  been  folly  to  remain  there  toj 
be  killed  ingloriously,  and  hence  we  deemed  dis-^ 
cretion  the  better  part  of  valor  under  the  circum-' 
stances,  as  did  our  companion  in  peril,  who  was 
one  of  the  bravest  officers  of  the  Confederacy. 

A  flank  movement  on  the  part  of  General  Jack- 
son quickly  compelled  the  enemy  to  abandon  his^ 
position,  and  gave  us  at  the  same  time  the  oppor- 
tunity to  remove  such  of  the  wounded  as  still  re- 
mained where  they  had  fallen  and  to  bury  thos( 
who  had  died  in  that  bloody  meadow. 

While  engaged  in  seeking  the  wounded  I  en- 
countered' a  burial  party  from  the  Edenton  com- 
pany, and  assisted  them  to  inter  several  of  its  mem- 
bers— boys  whom  I  had  known  from  their  births 
and  whose  parents  were  the  friends  of  my  childhood. 

James  Hawkins — the  son  of  our  village  under- 
taker and  a  fine  young  man  in  every  way — could 
only  be  recognized  by  his  body,  as  his  head  had 
been  carried  entirely  away  by  a  round  shot. 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  301 

I  also  heard  of  the  fatal  wounding  of  their  former 
l:aptain,  T.  L.  Skinner^  who  had  heen  recentlj^ 
)romoted  to  the  raajority  of  his  regiment  and  was 
n  his  first  fight.  He  was  one  of  the  wealthiest 
nen  in  Chowan  County,  and  the  direct  descendant 
f  Gabriel  Johnstone — a  royal  governor  of  North 
Carolina — as  well  as  a  gentleman  of  the  highest 
haracter  and  of  the  most  amiable  disposition. 
Closely  related  to  my  wife,  he  had  celebrated  our 
narriage  w^ith  a  magnificent  party  at  his  country 
eat  near  Edenton,  and  I  had  not  only  been  his 
amily  physician  for  years,  but  his  friend  for  a  life- 
ime. 

It  was  with  a  sad  heart,  therefore,  that  I  per- 
brmed  my  work  that  day,  for  visions  of  old  Eden- 
on,  with  the  associations  which  made  it  the  dearest 
pot  on  earth  to  me,  filled  my  mind  continually, 
tnd  yet  I  never  had  greater  need  of  a  clear  head 
md  a  steady  hand.  On  the  succeeding  day  occurred 
he  sanguinary  battle  of  Gaines'  Mills — or  Coal 
Flarbor,  as  it  was  designated  by  McClellan  in  his 
lispatches — and  we  were  again  flooded  with 
ivounded  men  from  both  armies  Fortunately, 
lowever,  the  medical  director  had  completed  the 
)rganization  of  his  department,  and  everything 
;vorked  without  clash  or  confusion. 

And  so  matters  continued  for  a  week — a  furious 
battle  being  fought  every  day,  leaving  upon  the 
|ield  a  sufficient  number  of  wounded  men  to  occupy 
:he  surgeons  until  their  places  were  supplied  iDy 
)thers  from  the  succeeding  fight  and  giving  us 
5uch  an  amount  of  labor  to  perform  as  to  prevent 
-is  from  taking  a  sufficiency  of  food  and  from  ob- 
taining the  necessary  amount  of  sleep. 

A  culmination  was  finally  reached  at  Malvern 
Bill,  where,  after  a  desperate  battle,  the  Federal 
commander  repulsed  the  Confederates  and  secured 


302  '      A  doctor's  experiences 

an  opportunity  to  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing 
under  the  protection  of  tlie  river  fleet.  Just  before 
the  fight  began  a  corps  of  city  surgeons — clad  in 
brilliant  uniforms,  and  filled  with  professional 
ardor — arrived  at  our  field-hospital,  and  asked  to 
be  assigned  to  duty  for  the  occasion.  At  that  pre- 
.cise  moment  two  shells — the  first  fired  from  Mal- 
vern— fell  in  quick  succession  within  a  few  feet  ol 
the  party. 

Guild  was  engaged  in  the  amputation  of  a  limb 
at  the  time,  and,  with  the  cool  courage  which  so 
greatly  distinguished  him,  he  continued  his  work 
as  deliberately  as  if  he  were  in  the  amphitheater 
of  a  medical  college.  Our  new  recruits  waited  un- 
til the  operation  was  completed,  looking  as  serious 
as  if  they  expected  at  any  moment  to  be  called  to 
their  last  account,  and  then  suddenly  remembering 
certain  important  engagements  in  Richmond, 
quietly  filed  away,  to  be  seen  no  more  on  that  or 
any  other  battle-field.  They  could  have  remained 
with  perfect  impunity,  however,  for  not  another 
shell  fell  in  that  vicinity  during  the  fight,  and  the 
hospital  proved  for  the  occasion  a  veritable  '^  bomb- 
proof.'' 

The  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  was  in  all  regards 
one  of  the  most  terrible  of  the  war.  The  Federal 
commander  having  selected  a  splendid  position — 
the  apex  of  a  cone  toward  which  a  series  of  plains 
converged,  and  which  could  not  be  reached  by  a 
flank  movement — concentrated  upon  it  the  whole 
of  his  artillery,  and  then  brought  to  its  support  the 
guns  of  the  river  fleet  and  the  muskets  of  his  entire 
infantry.  Thus  entrenched  and  supported  he  would, 
in  all  probability,  have  been  impregnable  in  any 
event  against  the  best  handled  and  the  most  cum- 
pletely  concentrated   army  of  the  world — but  on 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  303 

his  occasion  lie  was  rendered  absolutely  so  by  the 
iaanner  in  which  he  was  attacked. 

By  some  misunderstanding  of  General  Lee's 
irders,  and  with  the  bravado  of  over-confidence,  a 
Inere  handful  of  men  threw  themselves  upon  the 
losition  in  the  premises,  and  they,  having  been  re- 
i)ulsed,  another  division  took  their  places,  only  to 
jneet  with  the  same  fate  ;  and  thus  the  iight  con- 
tinued until  the  entire  army  had  been  involved  in 
letail  and  by  detachments.  There  was  at  no  time 
,1  combined,  simultaneous  and  systematic  attack 
lipon  the  position,  and  the  battle  was  lost  almost 
)y  default — because  of  the  overweening  self-reliance 
tf  the  Southern  troops  engaged  in  it.  The  truth 
iS,  success  had  so  continuously  wreathed  itself  about 
!;he  Confederate  standard — the  army  was  in  such 
L  splendid  and  seemingly  exhaustless  stream  of 
uck — that  it  had  learned  to  despise  its  adversaries, 
md  to  suppose  that  dash  and  daring  upon  its  part 
■vere  the  infallible  assurances  of  victory,  whatever 
jnight  be  the  strength  of  the  enemy  or  the  dififlcul- 
Lies  of  the  situation.  The  repulse  was  complete 
ind  overwhelming  ;  and  so  great  was  the  conse- 
quent confusion  and  demoralization  that  for  several 
lours  after  the  engagement  the  Confederate  army 
tiad  absolutely  no  organic  existence — was  nothing 
pore  nor  less  than  a  heterogenous  mass  of  strag- 
glers extending  from  Malvern  Hill  to  Richmond. 
McClellan  could,  in  fact,  have  marched  during  that 
Qiglit  or  on  the  succeeding  morning  into  the  Con- 
federate capital  with  as  much  ease  and  as  little 
Dpposition  as  he  actually  traversed  the  space  which 
separated  him  from  the  river  side  and  the  protect- 
ing guns  of  the  fleet. 

Nothing  could  live  upon  those  fatal  hillsides 
during  the  progress  of  the  fight,  and  those  who 
fell  there  had  to  remain  where  they  had  fallen  un- 


304  A  doctor's  experiences 

til  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  permitted  their  biiria 
or  their  removal,  as  the  necessities  of  the  case  re 
quired. 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  fight  a  continU' 
ous  stream  of  wounded  men — composed  of  thoi 
who  were  able  to  crawl  from  the  field  or  who  fel 
upon  its  margin — poured  into  the  contiguous  hoa 
pitals. 

I  have  never  forgotten  one  poor  fellow,  whost 
case  fell  under  my  observation.  He  was  a  mere  lad^ 
belonging  to  a  Louisiana  regiment,  and  was  wounded 
so  soon  after  entering  the  field  that  he  fell  where  hJ| 
could  be  reached  and  brought  away.  Observing  thd 
blood  was  flowing  copiously  from  his  head  I  passed 
my  hand  over  its  surface  and  discovered  a  hard 
substance  projecting  from  a  penetrating  wound  oi 
the  cranium.  A  closer  examination  revealed  the 
presence  of  the  hammer  of  a  gun-lock  buried  sq 
deeply  in  the  substance  of  the  brain  as  almost  tl 
conceal  its  presence,  and  to  render  its  removal  diffi 
cult.  He  was  profoundly  comatose  when  brought 
in,  but  so  soon  as  the  foreign  body  was  lifted  froni^ 
its  bed,  with  a  scintillation  of  intelligence  he  sprang; 
to  his  feet  and,  waving  his  hands  in  the  air,  cried  out 
in  ringing  tones:  "Come  on,  boys!  One  more  blowj 
for  the  ladies  of  New  Orleans,"  and  then  fell  exi 
hausted  and  senseless  to  the  earth  again.  What 
became  of  him  I  never  knew,  though  I  had  hira 
lifted  up  tenderly  and  borne  to  the  rear,  with  in- 
structions to  the  surgeons  there  to  treat  him  as  if 
he  were  my  son.  But  time  can  never  efface  from 
my  memory  the  recollection  of  that  fair  young  face 
lit  up  by  the  glare  of  torches  and  the  fire  of  enthu- 
siasm ;  that  frail  form  trembling  from  physical 
weakness  yet  instinct  with  patriotic  fervor,  and 
that  strange  flashing   up  of  a   flickering   intellect 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  305 

under  the  spell  of  the  sentiment  which  had  inspired 
it  in  the  shock  of  battle. 

General  Lee  passed  an  anxious  and  sleepless 
ni2:ht,  for  no  man  could  tell  what  the  morrow 
would  reveal.  Fortunately  for  him  and  for  his 
cause,  the  victors,  in  total  ignorance  of  the  ruin 
they  had  wrought,  and  of  the  opportunity  which  it 
gave  them,  fled  before  the  dawn  and  left  the  field 
to  the  vanquished. 

I  rode  over  the  field  at  an  early  hour  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  and  found  it  literally  gray  with  South- 
ern jackets-^completely  paved  with  the  bodies  of 
dead  and  wounded  Confederates. 

In  all  my  experience  I  have  never  seen  anything 
comparable  with  the  slaughter  upon  those  fatal 
hillsides,  and  only  a  history  written  by  some  one 
who  participated  in  the  fight,  or  who  read  the  rec- 
ord of  its  gory  field,  can  convey  a  conception  of 
the  desperation  of  the  assault  and  theobstinancy  of 
the  resistance  at  Malvern  Hill. 

A  little  in  the  rear  of  the  hostile  line  I  discov- 
ered an  old-fashioned  Virginia  ice-house,  the  roof 
of  which  had  been  penetrated  by  one  of  the  large 
shells  from  the  gunboats.  Prompted  by  a  spirit 
of  curiosity  I  opened  the  door  and  looked  within, 
to  be  startled  by  one  of  the  most  ghastly  specta- 
cles that  I  ever  beheld.  There  lay  the  stiffened 
forms  of  twelve  Union  soldiers,  all  of  whom  had 
evidently  taken  refuge  in  the  house  during  the  en- 
gagement, and  had  been  killed  together  by  the 
single  shell  which  penetrated  its  roof  and  exploded 
upon  its  floor. 

During  this  eventful  week  the  fortunes-  of  war 
carried  me  under  the  very  roof  beneath  which  my 
father  and  mother  were  married.  Savage's  Sta- 
tion, on  tlie  York  River  Railroad,  where  a  severe 
engagement  was  fought,  and  an  immense  supply 
20 


306  A  doctor's  experiences 

of  hospital  tents  and  stores  were  captured — though 
the  enemy  had  attempted  to  destroy  them,  while 
they  left  their  wounded  in  our  hands — was  for- 
merly known  hy  the  name  of  Laurel  G-roye,  the 
seat  of  my  mother's  family  when  she  was  a  girl. 
Under  the  very  oaks  which  sheltered  me  that  day 
and  amid  the  howers  in  which  I  wandered,  my 
father  had  told  the  story  of  his  love,  and  she  to 
whom  I  owe  my  heing  had  listened  and  responded, 
little  dreaming  that  their  son  would  come  in  after 
years  with  a  victorious  army  to  wrest  it  from  an 
invader,  and  to  find  its  green  lawns  white  with 
alien  tents  and  covered  with  mutilated  bodies. 
Such  is  life — a  record  of  the  certainty  only  of  the 
uncertain — a  series  of  seeming  impossibilities — a 
chain  whose  every  link  is  forged  of  an  incongruity 
and  a  surjDrise. 

With  the  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  the  '^  seven- 
days'  fight"  concluded,  and  a  period  of  inaction 
followed,  which  was  devoted  to  the  recuperation  of 
our  own  exhausted  energies,  and  to  the  more  com- 
plete organization  of  the  medical  staff. 

I  subsequently  returned  to  my  post  in  North , 
Carolina,  and  during  the  succeeding  months  of  ab- 
solute rest  at  Goldsborough  I  devoted  myself  to 
the  preparation  of  a  manual  of  military  surgery, 
such  as  my  own  experience  with  the  medical  offi- 
cers of  the  Confederacy  convinced  me  to  be  a  de- 
sideratum. Pretending  to  no  originality,  I  simply 
sought  to  describe  the  various  operations  in  sur- 
gery according  to  the  data  furnished  by  the  best 
authorities,  and  to  show  the  appreciation  to  which 
they  wer^  entitled.  The  typographical  execution 
of  the  book  was  very  imperfect,  as  nearly  all  of  the 
practical  printers  were  in  the  army  and  the  work 
had  to  be  done  by  the  merest  tyros  in  the  art,  and 
yet  it  met  with  so  cordial  a  reception  as  to  necessi- 


IJ^   THREE   CONTINENTS.  307 

tate  immediate  preparation  for  the  issue  of  a  second 
edition.  It  was  entitled '^  Surgery  for  Field  and 
Hospital,"  and  though  bearing  the  imprint  of 
West  &  Johnson,  of  Richmond,  it  was  really 
printed  by  some  boys  at  Raleigh. 


308  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XX. 


SUEGEOX-GEXEKAL  OF  XOKTH  CAEOLIXA.  . 


My  Dear  Doctor  : 

In  the  summer  of  1862  the  Honorable  Zebulon 
B.  Vance  was  elected  governor  of  North  Carolina, 
and  through  the  intervention  of  mutual  friends — es- 
pecially of  Dr.  T.  J.  Boy  kin,  who  was  then  -sur- 
geon of  his  regiment^ — I  was  appointed  surgeon- 
general  of  the  State  soon  afterward. 

My  predecessor  would  scarcely  have  been  re- 
moved, as  he  was  a  physician  of  ability  and  a  gen- 
tleman of  high  social  standing,  but,  supposing  my 
appointment  inevitable,  he  resigned  the  office  on 
the  eve  of  the  Governor's  inauguration,  upon  the 
ground  of  its  uselessness  in  the  supposed  per- 
fected condition  of  the  Confederate  medical  organ- 
ization— much  to  my  surprise  and  gratification. 

Of  Dr.  Boykin  I  will  say,  e?i  passant,  that  a 
more  loyal  and  pure-hearted  man  never  lived,  and 
that  he  commanded  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him — an 
experience  which  has  since  been  repeated  and  em- 
13hasized  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  where  he  has 
made  for  himself  a  home  and  a  fortune  since  the 
war.  His  love  for  Governor  Vance,  his  former 
commander,  has  ever  been  like  that  of  Damon  for 
Pythias — a  sentiment  incorporating  itself  into  his 
entire  life,  and  elucidating  in  "its  unreserved  admir- 
ation and  unselfish  service  much  of  the  true  dig- 
nity and  inherent  excellence  of  human  nature.     I 


'il 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  309 

am  proud  to  call  such  a  man  my  friend,  and  feel  a 
fresh  inspiration  to  virtue  in  the  contemplation  of 
his  noble  character  and  honorable  life. 

I  cannot  begin,  my  dear  Doctor,  to  express  the 
gratification  which  this  advancement  afforded  me. 
To  be  thus  elevated  to  the  highest  medical  position 
known  to  my  native  State,  filled  my  bosom  with 
peculiar  pride  and  exultation,  while  it  inspired  a 
sense  of  gratitude  to  Governor  Vance  which  made 
me  his  devoted  friend  for  life,  and  awakened  a  desire 
to  serve  North  Carolina,  from  which  lean  say  with 
truth,  and  without  vanity,  incalculable  benefits 
accrued  alike  to  her  soldiers  and  to  her  people. 

The  legislature  was  induced  to,  give  a  palpable 
contradiction  to  the  alleged  uselessness  of  the  ofihce 
by  an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars annually  to  its  support. 

Supported  by  the  Governor,  I  established  a  num- 
ber of  wayside  hospitals  at  convenient  points  in 
the  State,  and  a  soldiers'  home  in  Richmond,  which 
fed,  warmed,  sheltered  and  clothed  thousands  of 
weary  and  suffering  soldiers  as  they  journeyed 
homeward  or  campward. 

I  purchased  in  Europe  a  large  stock  of  instru- 
ments, medicines  and  hospital  stores,  and  dis- 
tributed them  with  a  liberal  hand  to  the  North 
Carolina  troops  long  after  the  Confederate  author- 
ities had  exhausted  their  supply  and  were  without 
the  means  of  replenishing  them. 

I  caused  to  be  collected  at  convenient  points  on 
the  railroads  or  to  be  sent  to  m)^  office  at  Raleigh 
monthly  contributions  to  the  necessities  of  the  sol- 
diers at  the  front  and  had  them  forwarded  regularly 
to  their  proper  destination. 

I  organized  a  corps  of  competent  surgeons — 
among  whom  were  Dr.  Eugene  Grissom  and  Dr. 
David    Tayloe,    of    whom    I    cannot    speak    too 


310  A  doctor's  experiences 

highly — and  sent  them  wherever  the  sick  and 
wounded  were  to  be  found  and  services  coukl  be 
rendered. 

I  effectually  stamped  out  an  epidemic  of  small- 
pox which  threatened  to  invade  the  State  from 
several  points  simultaneously,  by  appointing  a 
vaccinator  in  every  county,  supplying  him  with 
reliable  virus,  and  seeing  that  his  duties  were  faith- 
fully performed — the  records  of  my  office  showing 
the  vaccination  of  seventy  thousand  persons  of  all 
ages,  complexions  and  conditions. 

I  organized  a  medical  staff  for  the  militia  and 
Home  Gruards  of  the  State,  supervised  the  examina- 
tion of  such  as  claimed  exemption  from  duty  upon 
the  ground  of  physical  disability,  and  supplied  each 
regiment  with  proper  instruments  and  a  plentiful 
supply  of  hospital  stores. 

In  a  word,  in  a  thousand  different  ways  I  made 
my  department  felt,  appreciated  and  respected,  not 
only  by  North  Carolina  but  by  the  whole  Confed- 
eracy. As  an  evidence  of  this  I  recall  with  infinite 
pride  and  satisfaction  the  fact  that  I  secured  the 
confidence  and  friendship  of  Grovernor  Vance,  and 
that  the  legislature  of  the  State  upon  the  distinct 
grounds  of  ''faithful  and  devoted  service  to  the 
sick  and  wounded  "  raised  my  rank  from  that  of 
colonel  to  that  of  brigadier-general,  with  a  corre- 
sponding augmentation  of  pay  and  emoluments. 

My  relations  with  the  Governor  ripened  into  the 
closest  intimacy.  He  gave  me  his  fullest  confidence 
and  most  sincere  regard.  I  became  his  most  trusted 
counselor,  not  alone  in  matters  appertaining  to  my 
special  department,  but  in  public  affairs  of  the 
gravest  nature.  It  was  in  vain  that  jealousy 
sought  to  disturb  our  relations  or  that  calumny 
breathed  its  detractions  into  his  ear.  He  knew  that 
I  was  faithful   to  him  and   to  the  trust  which  he 


O   THREE   CONTINENTS.  311 

had  confided  to  me,  and  lie  "  stood  by  me  "  under 
all  circumstances  and  against  every  adversary. 

As  an  evidence  of  his  confidence,  I  will  relate  some 
incidents  which  occurred  during  our  association.  I 
once  visited  a  neighboring  city  on  official  business, 
and  was  thrown  in  with  a  party  of  North  Carolin- 
ians who  were  on  a  desperate  spree  there.  As 
they  were  the  Governor's  political  friends  and  men 
of  influence  at  home,  I  could  not  avoid  a  certain 
degree  of  intimacy  with  them,  though  I  took  no 
part  in  their  proceedings. 

On  my  return,  the  Governor  received  me  kindly^ 
but  said  with  a  certain  amount  of  gravity  in  his 
tone  ;   "I  heard  all  about  your  big  spree,  Warren." 

''  My  big  spree,  Governor — what  in  the  world 
do  you  mean?"   I  asked  in  astonishment. 

"Now,    don't    crawfish.       I    know    the    whole 

thing — how  you  and  Tom    C made  the  place 

howl  while  1  thought  you  were  devoting  yourself 
to  public  affairs,"  he  answered,  still  wearing  a 
serious  air. 

"  You  must  really  explain  yourself,  Governor, 
for  I  don'-t  know  what  you  are  driving  at,"  I  in- 
sisted, taking  the  matter  seriously,  and  being 
greatly  annoyed. 

"  Well,  read  this,"  he  said,  as  he  handed  me  a 
letter,  in  the  address  of  which  I  instantly  recognized 
the  writing  of  one  of  my  supposed  friends  and  most 
trusted  assistants.  • 

Opening  it  eagerly,  regardless  of  the  "  confiden- 
tial" injunction  upon  its  envelope,  I  read  a  circum- 
stantial account  of  the  manner  in  which  I  had 
''  neglected  my  business  and  enjoyed  myself." 
Returning  the  letter  to  the  Governor,  with  the  blood 
boiling  in  my  veins  at  the  baseness  of  one  who  had 
been   honored  and   trusted   by   me,  I  asked,  with 


312  A  doctor's  experiences 

trembliDg    lips,   '-Do    you    believe   this    of     rae, 
Governor  Vance  ?'" ' 

"  Well,  as  to  that  part  of  it,  yon  can  judge  for 
yourself.  Here  is  my  answer.  You  see  I  did  not 
wait  for  the  mail,  but  answered  by  telegraph/' 
said  the  Governor,  a  bright  smile  playing  over  his 
countenance.  The  telegram  was  in  these  words  : 
"Tell  Warren  sorry  -not  there  to  join  him;" 
thus  manifesting  in  a  brief  sentence  his  incredulity 
in  the  story,  his  fidelity  to  an  absent  friend,  and 
his  contempt  for  the  informer.  I  seized  the  Gover- 
nor's hand,  and  said  to  him  :  "  The  man  who  could 
be  anything  else  than  true  to  such  a  friend  as  you 
are,  does  not  deserve  to  live." 

On  another  occasion  1  called  at  Mr.  Holden's 
office,  in  the  vain  hope  of  preventing  an  open  rup- 
ture between  l^iim  and  the  Governor,  and  of  thus 
saving  the  State  from  a  heated  political  struggle  in 
the  midst  of  the  great  war  to  which  she  stood 
fully  committed. 

I  saw^  Governor  Vance  on  the  next  day,  and  before 
I  had  time  to  tell  him  of  my  visit  and  to  explain 
its  purpose,  he  said  to  me:  "And  so  .you  paid 
Holden  a  visit  last  night !" 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  but  how  in  the  world  did. you 
know  about  it?" 

"Well."  replied  he,  "You  have  some  enemies 
who  would  prejudice  me  against  you  if  they  could, 
and  you  hadjiardly  entered  Holden's  office  before 
three  persons  came  running  to  my  house,  each 
so  out  of  breath  that  he  could  scarcely  articulate, 
to  inform  me  that  my  'dearest  friend'  was  closeted 
with  my  '  most  malignant  enemy.'  " 

"  Is  it  possible,"  I  exclaimed;  "and  what  did 
you  say  to  them  ?" 

"Oh!  I  thanked  them  very  much  for  their 
kind  interest  in  my  affairs  and  said  that's  all  right, 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  313 

I  suppose  the  visit  is  on  my  account,  for  I  knew  that 
they  were  instigated  solely  by  malice  and  that  what- 
ever you  might  do  it  would  be  prompted  by  a  desire 
to  serve  me,"  was  his  answer,  the  inherent  loyalty 
of  his  nature  instinctively  arraying  itself  in  defense 
of  the  assailed  and  absent  friend  in  whose  loyalty 
he  believed. 

In  my  judgment  no  nobler  man  than  Zebulon 
Eaird  Vance  was  ever  created — with  an  inherent 
kindness  of  heart  which  tempers  and  softens  his 
•entire  nature  ;  a  respect  for  justice  and  right  which 
asserts  itself  under  all  possible  circumstances  ;  a 
sense  of  the  ridiculous  from  which  wells  out  a  stream 
of  humor  at  once  copious,  sparkling  and  exhaustless, 
and  an  intellect  which  like  some  great  oak  of  the 
forest  is  at  once  a  ''tower  of  strength"  and  a 
^'  thing  of  beauty  forever,"  now  braving  the  hurri- 
cane's breath  and  the  lightning's  flash,  and  then 
adorning  the  landscape  by  its  grandeur,  its  symme- 
try and  its  verdure. 

I  have  analyzed  his  heart  from  core  to  covering, 
and  I  know  that  in  its  every  cell  and  fiber  it  is  of 
the  purest  gold,  without  the  trace  of  alloy  or  a 
taint  of  counterfeit. 

I  regard  this  period  as  the  ''  golden  age  "  of  my 
existence.  It  is  true  that  the  din  of  a  fearful  con- 
test continually  reverberated  in  my  ears  and  that 
dark  clouds  enveloped  the  horizon  ;  but  happiness 
reigned  in  my  household,  my  daily  duties  brought 
me  into  intimate  association  with  one  of  the  truest 
of  friends  and  the  most  genial  of  men,  his  friend- 
ship secured  for  me  the  respect  and  regard  of  the 
best  men  of  the  State,  and  I  realized  that  I  was 
engaged  in  a  noble  work — a  service  which  was  at 
once  honorable  in  itself,  invaluable  to  my  country 
-and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  heaven. 

Among  the  most  pleasant  incidents  of  my  ser- 


314  A  doctor's  experiences 

vice  as  a  member  of  the   Governoi^'s   staff  was  a  * 
visit  which  I  made  with  him  to  the  Army  of  North- 
ern Virginia  in  the  winter  of  1863. 

He  was  then  a  candidate  for  re-election  to  the 
gubernatorial  chair,  having  filled  it  for  one  term 
with  great  eclat,  but  being  opposed  by  a  certain 
faction  at  home  which  proclaimed  itself  for  ''  peace 
and  reconstruction  "  on  any  terms.  This  appeal, 
it  was  feared,  had  produced  some  impression  upon 
the  minds  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field_,  and,  though 
the  ostensible  object  of  the  visit  was  the  advance- 
ment of  his  political  interests,  its  real  purpose  was 
to  rekindle  the  fires  of  patriotism  in  the  hearts  of 
the  North  Carolina  troops,  and  to  cheer  and  stimu- 
late the  entire  army.  I  had  supposed  that  I  knew 
him  thoroughly  and  appreciated  him  fully,  but  I 
had  really  no  conception  of  his  gifts  as  an  orator 
and  of  the  potency  of  his  personal  magnetism  until 
this  memorable  occasion. 

Inspired  alike  by  his  peculiar  surroundings  and 
the  importance  of  his  mission,  he  transcended  him- 
self and  produced  an  impression  upon  the  army —  ' 
from  its  great  captain  to  its  humblest  private — 
which  displayed  itself  in  the  wildest  enthusiasm 
for  the  cause  and  the  most  intense  idolatry  for  its 
eloquent  advocate. 

That  he  should  have  been  thus  inspired  is  not 
surprising,  for  the  circumstances  which  surrounded 
him  would  h^ve  stirred  the  heart  of  any  man. 

General  Lee  ordered  a  "  general  review  "  in  his-|j 
special     honor — an    incident,    I    believe,    without 
parallel  in  the  history  of  the  army. 

Upon  an  immense  plain  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  Orange  Court  House  there  were  assem- 
bled the  troops  which  composed  the  then  uncon- 
quered  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  They  were 
clad  in  rags  but  wreathed  with  victory  ;  their  flags 


GO  A".    ZEBULOX     B.    VANCE, 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  315 

were  soiled  and  tattered,  but  upon  them  were  in- 
scribed the  immortal  names  of  Coal  Harbor,  Ma- 
nassas and  South  Mountain  ;  their  arms  were 
battered  and  blackened,  but  their  fire  had  startled 
the  nations  and  reverberated  around  the  world  ; 
their  bands  were  decimated  and  out  of  tune,  but 
they  still  discoursed  the  inspiring  strains  of 
"Dixie,^'  "The  Bonny  Blue  Flag,"  and  "The 
Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me,"  and  though  many  a  gal- 
lant leader  was  absent  because  "off  duty"  forever, 
Jackson,  Longstreet,  Steuart,  Early,  Ewell,  Hill, 
Rhodes,  Gordon,  Pettigrew,  Hampton  and  Fitz- 
hugh  Lee  were  there  to  do  honor  to  Carolina's 
illustrious  son. 

Arrayed  in  two  confronting  lines  and  with  their 
bronzed  faces  beaming  with  pleasure  and  expect- 
ancy, the  noble  veterans  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
old  chieftain  whom  they  had  followed  in  triumph 
so  long,  and  of  the  youthful  governor,  whose  de- 
votion to  the  cause  and  tender  care  of  his  own 
troops  had  already  made  him  the  idol  of  them  all. 
Finally  the  cannons  boomed,  and  General  Lee  and 
Governor  Vance  appeared,  and,  amid  a  storm  of  en- 
thusiastic cheers  and  an  avalanche  of  friendly  greet- 
ings, rode  slowly  along  the  excited  lines.  It  was  a 
stirring  scene,  and  as  I  rode  with  this  distinguished 
company,  and  gazed  into  the  battered  but  radiant 
i'aces  around  me,  and  listened  to  the  grand  "  Con- 
federate yell  "  with  which  they  hailed  their  great 
commander  and  his  honored  guest,  I  felt  that  it 
was  indeed  an  occasion  to  be  remembered,  and 
realized  that  I  stood  in  the  presence  of  heroes  and 
conquerors — of  the  men  who  had  made  history,  and 
had  earned  even  from  their  enemies  the  reputation 
of  being  "  the  bravest  soldiers  who  ever  marched  to 
the  music  of  battle." 

So  soon  as  the  revievv — if  that  military  love-feast 


316  A  doctor's  experiences 

can  be  so  designated — was  ended,  the  men  and 
officers  came  crowding  around  the  elevated  plat- 
form which  had  been  prepared  for  the  orator,  and 
for  two  hours  gave  him  their  most  earnest  attention. 

That  day  was  truly  a  proud  one  for  North  Caro- 
lina and  for  her  o;ifted  son.  A  more  appropriate, 
effective  and  eloquent  address  was  never  uttered  by 
human  lips.  Under  the  influence  of  his  rich  and 
varied  imagery,  his  happy  and  graphic  illustrations, 
his  masterly  grasp  and  inner  meaning,  his  trench- 
ant thrusts  and  touching  allusions,  his  stirring 
appeahs  and  deep  pathos^  and,  in  a  word,  his 
magnificent  and  resistless  eloquence,  the  audience 
was  stirred,  enraptured,  enthused  and  carried  away 
as  if  by  the  spell  of  a  magician.  Not  a  man  who 
heard  that  impassioned  outburst  of  patriotic  inspir- 
ation would  have  hesitated  to  die  for  his  country  jj 
and  I  am  convinced  that  in  many  an  hour  of  su-l 
preme  peril  afterward  it  rang  like  a  trumpet's 
tone  through  the  souls  of  those  who  heard  it,  in- 
spiring them  to  a  higher  courage,  a  nobler  effort, 
a  purer  patriotism  and  a  more  heroic  matyrdom 
for  the  cause  which  they  loved  so  well. 

If  aught  of  luke-warmness  or  despondency  had 
been  produced  by  the  machinations  of  a  selfish  fac- 
tion at  home  they  vanished  as  the  morning  mist 
before  the  rising  sun  under  the  spell  of  this  good 
man's  matchless  eloquence. 

I  heard  General  Lee  remark  that  Governor 
Vance's  visit  to  the  army  had  been  equivalent  to 
its  reinforcement  by  fifty  thousand  men  ;  and  it 
sowed  the  seeds  of  a  friendship  between  those  two 
true-hearted  patriots  which  fructified  even  amid 
the  dark  days  preceding  the  surrender,  and  grew  and 
strensfthened  lono;  after  the  land  which  thev  love 
so  well  had  drained  the  cup  of  sorrow  to  the  dregs 

It  was  then  that  he  made  classic  the  term  ''  tar 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  31 T 

heel,"  whicli  others  had  hitherto  applied  in  de- 
rision to  the  North  Carolina  soldiers,  h}"  addressing 
them  as  "fellow  tar-heels,"  and  demonstrating 
that  the  sobriquet  was  but  a  synonym  of  that  tena- 
cious courage  which  had  made  them  stick  to  their 
posts  in  the  hour  of  danger  upon  so  many  hard- 
fought  fields,  to  their  own  imperishable  honor  and 
to  the  eternal  glory  of  the  mother  State.  And 
ever  afterward,  during  the  war  and  up  to  the  pres- 
!ent  moment,  the  most  subtle  compliment  which  can 
be  paid  to  a  North  Carolinian  who  followed  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Confederacy  in  all  of  its  vicissitudes  of 
fortune  until  it  was  furled  forever  at  Appomattox, 
jis  to  call  him  by  that  homely  but  blood-baptized 
[appellation  of  ''  tar-heel." 

!  So  soon  as  the  soldiers  had  recovered  from  the 
Ispell  of  excitement  induced  by  the  Grovernor's  ad- 
idress,  they  cheered  lustily  for  General  Lee.  As  he 
jWas  unaccustomed  to  such  appeals,  and  had  been 
reared  with  the  strictest  ideas  of  military  discipline, 
il  feared  at  first  that  he  might  misinterpret  the 
demonstration,  but,  loving  the  soldiers  with  a 
father's  tenderness,  he  took  no  ofi'ense,  and  simply 
[blushed  and  retired  from  the  scene.  Other  ofiicers 
were  then  called  for,  but  none  responded  save  Gen- 
erals Early,  Steuart  and  Rhodes,  who  seemed  spe- 
cial favorites  with  the  army. 

General  Early  being  a  lawyer  by  profession  spoke 
with  force  and  fluency,  paying  many  handsome 
compliments  to  the  soldiers,  and  especially  lauding 
the  heroism  of  those  from  North  Carolina.  He 
was  warmly  received  and  enthusiastically  cheered 
throughout. 

:  General  Steuart  came  forward  with  all  that  ease 
and  grace  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable,  and, 
lifting  his  long-feathered  hat,  bowed,  and  bowed 
a^ain  in  return  for  the  loud  shouts  which  greeted 
him.     "  Fellow-soldiers,"  he  said,  "  I  am    a   cav- 


318  A  doctor's  experiences 

airy  man,  and,  consequently,  not  an  orator,  but 
I  should  be  untrue  to  myself  if  I  failed  to  command 
words  enough  to  thank  you  for  your  kind  recep- 
tion, and  to  say  that  I  have  commanded  many  sol- 
diers, but  never  braver  and  more  trusty  than  those 
who  hailed  from  the  Old  North  State.  God  bles^ 
her  ! ' '  The  eloquence  of  Demosthenes  himself  could 
not  have  more  excited  the  audience — especially  the 
Carolina  portion  of  it — than  the  simple  but  perti- 
nent words  of  the  great  Confederate  raider,  and 
they  hurrahed  with  such  emphasis  that  I  began  to 
think  the  Federals  on  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tain would  believe  the  whole  army  had  commence^ 
a  charge  upon  them.  i 

General  Rhodes  arose  in  a  very  modest  ani 
hesitating  way  and  said  :  "I  never  attempted  biJ 
one  speech  before  this  in  my  life,  and  that  waj 
at  Carlisle  when  we  raised  a  Confederate  flag  ovei 
its  arsenal  last  year.  I  did  not  finish  that  speecli 
because  an  attack  was  made  upon  us  while  I  was 
in  the  midst  of  it ;  but  with  God's  help  I  intend 
to  finish  my  speech  at  Carlisle."  This  reference 
to  a  possible  forward  movement  was  received  witl 
the  greatest  manifestations  of  delight.  "At  Car- 
lisle !  At  Carlisle  !"  was  taken  up  and  echoed  anc 
re-echoed  by  thousands  of  voices,  and  the  arm) 
seemed  ready  to  begin  its  march  northward  atones 
and  with  as  much  pleasure  as  if  some  great  feasi 
had  been  prepared  for  it  over  the  border.  . 

With  this  the  drums  beat  and  the  bugles  soundec| 
and  order  reigned  again  in  the  Army  of  Northert 
Virginia  as  completely  as  if  its  discipline  had  nevej 
been  relaxed,  and  nothinof  had  occurred  to  difr 
turb  the  routine  of  its  hibernation.  m 

I  had  the  pleasure  during  this  visit  of  meetin| 
with  manv  old  friends,  and  amons;  them  the  medl 
cal  director  whose  appointment,  as  you  may  re 
member,  I  had  something  to  do  with  on  the  field  o 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS,  319 

^lechanicsville.  He  received  me  with  his  accus- 
oraed  cordiality,  and  we  spent  several  pleasant 
lOurs  together,  talking  of  that  eventful  night  and 
if  the  memorable  days  which  followed  it. 

This  reference  to  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
eminds  me  to  make  a  statement,  for  which  I  am 
uire  you  are  unprepared.  To  North  Carolina 
nainly  belongs  the  honor  of  its  grand  achievements 
—the  glory  of  the  victories  which  has  rendered  its 
aame  immortal.  From  the  day  of  its  organization 
:o  that  of  its  final  surrender,  she  contributed  to  it 
:nore  than  one-half  of  its  effective  force.  Forty 
)dd  regiments  of  "  tar-heels"  were  upon  its  muster- 
rolls — a  greater  number  than  was  furnished  con- 
tinuously by  any  other  Southern  State — and  by 
ommon  consent  the}^  were  among  the  bravest  and 
JLhe  best  troops  in  the  field.  From  the  Roanoke  to 
the  Susquehanna  their  bones  are  scattered  upon 
every  field  which  General  Lee  lost  or  won,  and  their 
Inames  and  deeds  are  recorded  in  the  history  of  his 
jcommand  from  title-page  to  conclusion. 
!•  I  shall  make  another  statement  which  may 
lequally  surprise  you.  Though  North  Carolina  was 
apposed  to  the  dogma  of  secession  until  the  logic 
iol"  events  convinced  her  of  the  necessity  of  sustain- 
;ing  her  Southern  sisters,  she  furnished  to  the  armies 
of  the  Confederacy  one  hundred  and  ticenty  odd 
thousand  men,  thus  sending  out  a  greater  number 
lOf  soldiers  than  she  had  voters  when  hostilities 
commenced. 

These  facts  and  figures  cannot  be  controverted, 
and,  in  view  of  them,  I  respectfully  submit  that 
she  should  no  longer  be  reviled  as  the  Eip  Van 
Winkle  of  the  Union,  but  honored  as  the  Ajax- 
Telemon  of  the  Confederacy.  She  was  slow  to 
take  her  position,  but  she  exsanguinated  and  im- 
poverished herself  in  maintaining  it,  and  in  so 
doing  made  a  record  for  herself  which  her  children 


320  A  doctor's  experiences 

will  regard  with  pride  and  admiration  to    the  re^ 
motest  generations. 

I  also  accompanied  the  Grovernor  on  many  pleas- 
ant visits  to  Wilmington,  whither  he  went  to  meet 
the  '^Advance,"  the  steamer  which  so  successfully 
eluded  the  blockade  and  brought  in  supplies  fo^ 
the  troops,  and  some  royal  feasts  we  had  togethei 
there  on  luxuries  from  outre  mer. 

We  chanced  to  be  in  Wilmington  when  Butler 
attempted  to  destroy  Fort  Fisher  by  means  of  his 
celebrated  "powder-ship,"  the  explosion  of  which 
did  not  awaken  the  garrison,  and  was  taken  by 
those  who  heard  it  in  Wilmington  for  the  report 
of  a  pack  of  "fire  crackers"  which  some  enthusi- 
astic urchin  had  fired  off  in  honor  of  the  repulse 
of  the  fleet. 

We  visited  the  fort  on  the  succeeding  day,  and 
found  it  somewhat  battered  and  plowed  up,  but 
not  materially  damaged,  while  its  huge  bastions 
and  parapets  looked  as  if  they  might  defy  the  com- 
bined navies  of  the  world.  So  much  for  appear- 
ances and  for  military  calculations  generally 
When,  by  some  strange  fatality,  the  Confederacj 
and  everything  connected  with  it  was  falling,  ic 
the  later  and  sadder  days  of  the  war.  Fort  Fishei 
fell  likewise.  General  Arnes,  after  a  day's  bom- 
bardment fi'om  the  sea  and  a  single  charge  upoc 
land,  captured  the  work,  notwithstanding  its  appar- 
ent impregnability  and  the  confident  calculations 
of  its  defenders. 

It  was  certainly  a  formidable  work,  and  one 
which  did  credit  to  the  skill  of  the  officer  whc 
originally  constructed  it,  and  who  subsequently 
lost  it  and  his  life  as  well.  I 

"  80  the  struck  eagle,  stretched  uixjn  the  plain, 
Xo  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again, 
Mewed  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart, 
And  wing'd  the  shaft  that  quiver'd  in  his  heart.'' 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  321 


LETTER  XXI. 

EXCITIXG  ADYEXTURE  AT  KIXSTOX. 

My  Dear  Doctor: 

I  had  an  exciting  adventure  at  Kinston  while 
surgeon-general,  in  which  mj  experience  with 
danger    and  disaster    was  repeated  and  extended. 

When  General  Foster  made  his  advance  upon 
that  place,  I  requested  permission  to  visit  it,  hop- 
ing to  be  of  service  to  the  wounded.  En  route  I 
overtook  a  regiment  whose  colonel  was  an  inti- 
mate friend  of  mine,  which  was  hastening  to  rein- 
force the  Confederate  commander,  filled  with  mar- 
tial ardor,  and  apprehensive  only  of  being  too  late 
to  take  part  in  the  fight.  We  arrived  at  the  de- 
pot about  midday,  and  w^ere  informed  that  an  en- 
gagement had  been  in  progress  for  several  hours, 
■and  that  the  enemy  had  been  repulsed  at  all 
points. 

As  the  firing  continued,  however,  we  started  at 
once  toward  the  field,  hoping  to  come  in  for  some 
of  the  glory  of  the  day,  even  if  we  chanced  to  ar- 
rive at  the  eleventh  hour,  and  after  the  battle  had 
been  fairly  won.  Indeed,  I  supposed  that  I  should 
find  work  in  any  event,  though  no  risk  might  be 
encountered  in  its  performance. 

In  those  days  Kinston  consisted  mainly  of  a  sin- 
gle street,  which  extended  from  the  railroad  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  river,  where  it  ter- 
mmated  in  a  road  that  ran  obliquely  to  a  bridge 
spanning  the   Neuse.     Upon    either   side   of  this 

.  -I 


322  A  doctor's  experiences 

street,  for  nearly  its  entire  length,  there  were 
handsome  houses,  rejoicing  in  white  gables  and 
green  blinds,  and  surrounded  by  luxuriant  gar- 
dens, while  a  row  of  majestic  elms  skirted  its  bor- 
bars  and  mingled  their  boughs  in  a  continuous- 
canopy  above. 

All  unconscious  of  danger,  and  thinking  the  vic- 
tory already  won,  the  colonel  permitted  his  men 
to  stra2:o:le  rather  than  march  alono^,  while  he  and 
I  strolled  leisurely  in  the  rear,  chatting  of  mutual 
friends  and  familiar  incidents. 

We  had  just  left  the  street  and  turned  into  the 
road,  when  we  were  startled  by  aloud  and  peculiar 
din  coming  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
looking  in  that  direction,  we  saw  to  our  consterna- 
tion a  body  of  Confederates  rushing  in  confusion 
toward  the  bridge,  while  a  large  Federal  force  was 
rapidly  pursuing  them. 

In  an  instant,  two  batteries  came  dashing  for- 
ward, and  planting  their  guns  in  a  position  to 
command  the  bridge  and  its  approaches,  poured 
round  after  round  of  grape  and  canister  into  the 
fugitives,  with  whom  we  happened  to  be  in  direct 


range 


At  the  first  discharge  several  men  were  killed 
beyond  me,  and  others  fell  in  such*'  close  proximity 
that  I  could  distinctly  hear  the  peculiar  thud  pro- 
duced by  the  messengers  of  death  as  they  pene- 
trated their  bodies.  Obeying  a  natural  impulse,  I 
rushed  from  the  dangerous  roadway  t©  the  safer 
street  and  sought  the  protection  of  a  friendly  elm^ 
behind  which  I  placed  myself,  and  then  looked 
around  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  my  comrades,  and  to 
determine  how  to  extricate  myself  from  the  perils 
of  the  position. 

There  stood  the  heroic  colonel,  sword  in  hand, 
giving   no  heed   to  the   peril  which  menaced  him^ 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  323 

and  solicitous  only  for  the  safety  of  his  naen. 
•'Scatter,  boys,  and  hug  the  earth,"  was  the  in- 
junction which  he  constantly  repeated  to  them^ 
and  in  tones  that  were  audible  even  amid  the  roar 
of  the  artillery  and  all  the  discordant  sounds  of  the 
occasion.  I  soon  lost  sight  of  him,  however,  in 
the  confusion  of  the  moment,  but  I  subsequently 
learned  that  he  succeeded  in  bringing  off  his  regi- 
ment without  serious  loss  to  it  or  the  slightest  det- 
riment to  himself  So  much  for  Carolina  pluck 
and  coolness. 

The  elms  of  Kinston  are  really  separated  from 
each  other  by  about  fifty  feet  of  space  and  they  ex- 
tend for  a  distance  wdiich  cannot  exceed  a  mile  ; 
and  yet,  as  I  dodged  from  one  to  the  other  in  my^ 
hurried  flight,  they  seemed  at  least  one  hundred 
yards  apart  and  to  cover  many  leagues. 

''It  is  a  long  road  which  has  no  turning,"  how- 
ever, and  after  much  trepidation  nd  many  hair- 
breadth escapes  I  finally  found  myself  at  the  depot 
and  out  of  immediate  danger. 

The  scene  at  Kinston  was  hardly  less  terrible 
than  that  which  T  had  witnessed  at  New  Berne,  the 
only  difference  being  that  there  were  fewer  men 
engaged  in  it — the  principal  part  of  our  force  having 
been  captured  before  it  had  reached  the  bridge  ; 
and  that  the  actual  peril  was  far  greater,  as  artillery 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  fugitives.  Why  a 
stand  was  made  by  an  inferior  force  acting  on  tho 
defensive,  with  a  deep  river  and  a  single  bridge  in 
its  rear,  I  have  never  been  able  to  comprehend. 
It  cannot  be  urged  that  there  was  no  alternative 
left  to  the  Confederate  commander,  for  he  had  been 
informed  of  the  strength  of  the  advancing  column 
and  he  deliberately  selected  his  position.  As  my 
own  life  was  near  being  sacrificed  to  this  peculiar 
strategy,  and  many  a  good  soldier  had  to   pay  for 


324  A  doctor's  experiexges 

it  with  his  blood  and  his  liberty,  I  insisted  that 
the  war  department  should  call  upon  its  authors 
for  an  explanation  before  the  bar  of  a  court  of 
inquiry.  The  surrender  at  Appomattox  squared 
anariy  an  account  that  could  never  have  been  settled 
otherwise,  and  those  upon  whom  rests  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  disaster  at  Kinston  have  special 
reason  to  congratulate  themselves  for  the  interven- 
tion of  that  fortuitous  settlement  as  an  ultimate 
in<*estigation  was  inevitable. 

Having  heard  that  some  wounded  men  had  been 
carried  to  a  house  on  the  main  road  immediately 
beyond   the  limits    of  Kinston,  I  hastened  to  it,:r 
hoping  to  be  able  to  render  assistance  to  the  surgeon 
in  cliarge,  and  at  the  same  time  deeming  it  best  to 
be  captured — as  it  seemed  probable  I  would  be — 
while  engaged  in  the  performance  of  my  legitimate  j 
duties.     On  arriving  there  I  found  that  a  Missis-  ! 
sippi  surgeon  had  taken  the  house  as   a  hospital, 
as  he  found  it  deserted  by  its  owner,   who    in  his 
consternation  at  the  approach  of  the    enemy  had 
aban(  oned  his  possessions   and  fled  precipitately — 
as  many  did  in  those  trying  times,  to  their  sul3se- 
quent  regret  and  final  ruin. 

In  this  inhosjjitable  world  there  is  '^  no  place  like 
home,"  especially  if  it  be  held  in  fee  simple  and 
without  encumbrances,  and  the  last  thing  for  a' 
sensible  man  to  do  is  to  abandon  it,  unless  con- 
strained by  an  imperative  obligation  or  an  impor- 
tunate sheriff. 

My  confrere  gladly  accepted  the  proffered  assist-  1 
ance,  and  we  worked  harmoniously  together  until  | 
every  wounded  man  had  been  properly  attended  to 
and  sent  to  the  rear  in  passing  wagons  and  ambu- 
lances. So  absorbed  had  we  been  in  the  work  before 
us  that  we  utterly  failed  until  left  free  by  its  com- 
pletion to  realize  the  difficulties  of  the  situation, 


i 


IN   THREE   CONTINEXTS.  325 

and  then  awakened  to  the  consciousness  that  we  were 
entirely  deserted  by  our  comrades,  with  the  alter- 
natives before  us  of  walking  thirty  miles  to  Golds- 
borough — foot-sore  and  fatigued  as  we  were — or  of 
waiting  to  be  captured  by  the  enemy,  whose  arrival 
was  every  moment  to  be  expected. 

While  hesitating  between  the  horns  of  this  di- 
lemma, and  in  a  state  of  infinite  perplexity,  we 
were  suprised  hy  the  apparition  of  a  horse — with- 
out rider,  bridle  or  saddle — walking  quietly  tow^ard 
us  from  the  direction  of  the  town.  Rushing  to  the 
gate,  we  opened  it,  drove  him  in,  and  secured  him 
without  the  slightest  difficulty.  In  fact,  he  seemed 
lonely  and  to  be  delighted  with  human  companion- 
ship, while  we  were  reciprocally  charmed  to  make 
his  acquaintance. 

Then,  opening  the  door  of  the  ''  carriage-house" 
— for  "our  right  there  was  none  to  dispute" — we 
found  within  it  an  old-fashioned  buggy,  with  an 
antiquated  harness  stored  beneath  its  seat.  The 
Good  Lord  seemed  indeed  to  be  with  us,  and  the 
childrea  of  Israel  could  scarcely  have  beheld  the 
"parting  of  the  waters"  in  their  behalf  with  more 
delight  that  we  experienced  at  this  timely  capture 
and  pertinent  discovery — this  providential  presen- 
tation of  the  means  of  escape  from  the  perils  and 
embarrassments  of  our  position. 

With  hands  trembling  with  excitement,  and  ears 
on  the  alert  for  the  "  Yankee  cavalry,"  we  ran 
the  vehicle  into  the  yard,  attached  the  horse  to  it, 
and  drove  off  toward  home  and  liberty  with  a  shout 
of  triumph  and  a  prayer  of  thankfulness,  the 
happiest  men  in  "  the  land  of  Dixie." 

As  our  steed  proved  to  be  a  famous  ' '  goer ' '  we 
soon  overtook  the  column  of  fugitives,  which  had 
been  swollen  by  such  a  number  of  refugees  with 
their  flocks,  furniture  and  household  scoods  sener- 


326  A  doctor's  experiences 

ally  that  it  offered -a  serious  impediment  to  our 
progress,  and  the  cocks  were  saluting  the  dawn 
when  we  entered  Goldsborough.  Driving  immedi- 
ately to  Gregory's  Hotel,  we  gave  our  jaded  horse 
to  the  hostler,  with  promises  of  rich  reward  for  the 
most  kindly  care  of  him,  and  then,  retiring  to  em- 
beds, we  slept  for  many  hours — the  sleep  of  the 
weary  and  the  rescued. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  awoke  from  my  protracted 
slumber  to  find  the  town  in  a  state  of  great  com- 
motion. Foster,  elated  by  his  success  at  Kinston, 
was  pushing  on  to  Goldsborough,  apparently  intent 
upon  invading  the  State  and  taking  possession  of 
Haleigh.  Trains  were  arriving  constantly,  bring- 
ing regiments  from  a  distance  ;  horses  were  neigh- 
ing in  every  direction  ;  tents  were  pitched  and 
artillery  parked  in  the  public  squares  ;  wagons  and 
ambulances  were  jDerpetually  rolling  through  tiie 
^streets  ;  couriers  with  anxious  mien  and  foaming 
horses  were  dashing  to  and  fro,  and  everything 
indicated  the  anticipation  of  serious  work  and  an 
effort  to  prepare  for  it.  I  also  learned  that  Gen- 
eral G.  W.  Smith  had  arrived  and  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  department,  which  looked  like  "busi- 
ness," and  that,  too,  of  an  important  character. 
I  hurried,  therefore,  to  Raleigh,  to  report,  to  the 
Governor,  and  obtained  permission  to  return  to 
Goldsborough,  so  as  to  take  part  in  the  events 
which  seemed  likely  to  transpire  there.  General 
Smith  was  an  old  and  valued  friend,  for  I  had 
always  been  one  of  his  enthusiastic  admirers,  and 
he  received  me  most  kindly,  saying  at  once  :  "  You 
are  the  very  man  I  was  looking  for.  You  must 
serve  as  my  medical  director.  Get  to  work  at 
once,  and  make  arrangements  for  a  severe  fight 
to-morrow  ;  for,  though  it  is  the  last  thing  I  want 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  327. 

at  present  I  think  Foster  will   have   sense  enough 
to  force  it," 

''But,  my  dear  General,"  I  answered^  "the 
thing  you  propose  is  out  of  the  question.  I  am  a 
State  officer  and  the  Confederate  surgeons  would 
reject  my  authority  and  hate  me  for  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  =  " 

He  would  listen  to  no  excuse,  however,  and  had 
the  order  issued  instantly  ;  and,  when  certain  of 
my  confreres  came  to  protest  against  it  he  silenced 
them  by  saying :  ''I  am  here  in  the  interest  of 
North  Carolina,  and  I  shall  exercise  the  discretion 
of  utilizing  the  best  materials  which  I  find  around 
me.  You  must  either  resign  or  submit  to  my 
orders.  I  shall  arrest  the  first  man  who  manifests 
the  slightest  spirit  of  insubordination." 

These  decided  words  had  the  desired  effect,  and 
the  protestants  were  awed  into  obedience,  though 
they  consoled  themselves  with  an  undying  hatred 
of  me  ;  for  professional  jealousy  is  ever  as  unjust 
as  it  is  vindictive,  and  assails  whatever  it  finds  in 
its  way  without  a  question  as  to  the  justice  of  its 
attack. 

I  devoted  myself  diligently  to  the  work  of  pre- 
paring the  medical  department  for  its  expected 
labors,  and  joined  the  General's  staff  as  he  rode  to- 
ward the  field  so  as  to  be  the  better  able  to  take  in 
the  whole  situation  and  to  act  intelligently  in  re- 
gard to  it.  As  we  rode  along  1  met  one  of  the 
surgeons  who  had  shown  so  rebellious  a  spirit  in 
regard  to  my  appointment,  and,  by  way  of  testing 
his  metal  as  well  as  of  making  him  useful,  I  ordered 
him  to  follow  me.  His  brow  contracted  and  his 
cheek  blanched,  but  he  bowed  in  acquiescence,  and 
turned  his  horse  toward  the  expected  battle-field. 

Diverging  from  the  main  road  after  having 
crossed   the    county    bridge,   the    General    pushed 


328  A  doctor's  experiences 

through  a  narrow  strip  of  wood — where  the  presence 
of  several  dead  bodies  showed  that  our  picket  line 
had  been  posted — and  rode  into  the  plain  beyond. 
Here  one  of  the  most  magnificent  panoramas  pre- 
sented itself  that  can  be  conceived  of.  Behind  the 
railroad  embankment — from  the  bridge  to  the  point 
at  which  it  intersected  the  level  plain — the  Confed- 
erate troops  were  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  with 
their  guns  at  "ready  arms,"  their  artillery  iu  I 
position,  and  their  battle-flags  floating  in  the  wind, 
and  in  the  distance  were  large  masses  of  the  enemy 
with  the  "star-spangled  banner"  waving  over 
them,  bands  playing  "  Yankee  doodle,"  and  end- 
less batteries  of  artillery  tiring  rounds  of  shot  and 
shell,  while  their  polished  gun  barrels  and  bayonets 
glittered  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  like  "errant 
stars  an-ested  there."  Impressed  by  the  specta- 
cle, Greneral  Smith  paused  in  midfield,  and  exposed 
as  he  was  and  as  conspicuous  as  his  uniform  and 
retinue  made  him,  gazed  long  and  earnestly  upon 
it.  I  turned  to  observe  its  effects  upon  my  ambi- 
tious confrere,  but  only  in  time  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  his  horse's  tail  as  he  disappeared  in  the  copse 
from  which -we  had  just  emerged.  Whether  his 
nerves  were  too  weak  for  "the  racket"  or  impor- 
tant business  called  him  to  the  rear,  I  never  knew, 
but  I  could  not  refrain  trom  directing  the  attention 
of  my  comrades  to  his  disappearance  and  joining 
in  the  hearty  laugh  with  which  they  greeted  it. 
Wisdom  if  not  valor  was  certainly  displayed  by  the 
fugitive,  for  during  the  next  half  hour  we  had  to 
indulge  in  the  pastime  of  following  our  chief  as  he 
rode  up  and  down  the  line  in  full  view  of  the  enemy, 
a  target  for  artillerymen  and  sharpshooters.  Sud- 
denly dark  clouds  of  smoke  were  seen  to  issue  from 
the  bridge — which  had  been  daringly  fired  by  a 
party  of  volunteers  from  Foster's   a.rmy — and  the 


IN   THREE   CONTmENTS.  329 

Federals  giving  cheer  after  cheer  and  firing  a  few 
rounds  of  shell  and  solid  shot,  disappeared  from 
viev/,  satisfied  with  their  achievements  and  believ- 
ing themselves  heroes.  There  were  two  sides  to 
the  question,  however.  With  a  hastil3^-collected 
and  imperfectly  organized  force  of  some  six  or  eight 
thousand  men,  General  Smith  succeeded  in  check- 
ing the  advance  of  Foster's  disciplined  army  of  forty 
thousand  experienced  troops,  thus  saving  the  State 
from  invasion  and  its  capital  from  destruction ;  and 
he  was  willing  enough  to  sacrifice  a  bridge — which 
was  reconstructed  in  a  few  weeks — to  the  risk  of 
the  unequal  contest  which  would  have  followed  an 
attack  on  his  command. 

The  truth  is,  the  bustle  and  parade  which  had 
been  made  at  Goldsborough  had  for  its  object  the 
production  of  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  force  as- 
sembled there,  and  the  bridge  was  really  used  as 
"tub  to  the  whale"  at  the  same  time,  with  the  re- 
sult of  so  deceiving  General  Foster  and  satisfying 
his  array  that  he  immediately  retired. 

No  more  raids  or  invasions  were  attempted  until 
Sherman  came  with  his  victorious  legions,  though 
we  occasionally  had  rumors  of  them.  The  militia 
colonel  of  Wayne  County,  though  a  devoted  Con- 
federate, was  one  of  the  most  excitable  and  sensa- 
tional of  men,  and  he  was  constantly  informing 
the  Governor  of  advances  upon  the  part  of  the 
enemy,  which  fortunately  were  confined  to  the 
limits  of  his  own  imagination.  On  one  occasion, 
as  I  well  remember,  he  telegraphed  in  these  im- 
pressive words:  "To  his  excellency,  Governor  Z. 
B.  Vance,  The  enemy  is  advancing,  Wayne  is 
ready."  To  which  the  Governor  responded  in- 
stantly, and  in  terms  as  laconic  as  explicit :  "Col- 
onel Muses,  Goldsborough.     Fire!"    but  I  hardly 


330  A  doctor's  experiences 

think  the  command  was  obeyed  as  I  never  received 
a  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  barbarity  shown, 
to  Federal  prisoners,  as  I  have  mentioned  already, 
and  in  justice  to  my  immediate  chief,  North  Caro- 
lina's "  great  war  Governor,"  I  must  vindicate 
him  from  all  participation  in  it  by  relating  two  in- 
cidents which  came  under  my  immediate  notice. 

On   one   occasion,  while  passing  through  Salis- 
bury, I  made  it  a  point  to  visit  the  prison  there  in 
order  to  ascertain  for  myself  the  condition  of  its 
inmates.     I  found  it  overcrowded,  dirty  and  poorly 
provided  in  every  way  ;  while   the  prisoners  were 
surly  and  insubordinate  to  the  last  degree  even  in 
the  midst  of  their  squalor,  filth,  and  wretchedness.  . 
I  attempted  to  talk  kindly  to  them,  commiserating 
their  lot  and  promising  assistance  ;  but  they  only 
answered   mockingly    and    in    the    most  insulting 
terms.      On  m}'  return  to  Ealeigh,  I  told  Governor  ■ 
Vance  of  mj^  visit,  and  gave  him  a  true  account  of 
the  forlorn  state  in  which  I  had  found  the  prisoners, 
as   well    as   of  the   resentful    and  rebellious  spirit 
which  pervaded  them.     "Poor  fellows,"  said  he, 
"I  pity  them  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.     It  i 
is  true  that  the  Confederate  authorities   give  them  | 
the  same  rations  as  their   own  soldiers,  and    thatf 
the  United  States  Government  is  mainly  responsi- 
ble for  their  condition  by   refusing   an  exchange 
when  we  have  declared  our  inability  to  properly 
provide   for   prisoners,    but   I    can't   help  feeling 
sorry   for    the    unfortunate   creatures    themselves. 
There  may  be   no  law  but  that   of  humanity  for 
it,  but  I  shall  devote  some  of  the  stores  belong- 
ing  to  the   State  to  their   relief.     You   must  send: 
them   from   your   depot   such   supplies  as  they  re- 
quire, and  I  will  instruct  my  commissary  general^ 
to  do  the  same." 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  331 


a 


1  shall  only  be  too  happy,  Governor,  to  carry 
out  your  wishes,"  was  my  answer  ;  and  a  liberal 
supply  of  stimulants,  medicines,  hospital  stores, 
blankets  and  shoes  was  immediately  forwarded  to 
the  Salisbury  prisoners,  according  to  the  Govern- 
or's instructions. 

Shortly  after  the  battle  of  Benton sville  I  re- 
ceived a  telegram  conveying  the  information  that  a 
train  would  arrive  at  a  certain  hour  filled  with 
wounded  men.  I,  therefore,  immediately  ordered 
the  surgeons  in  charge  of  the  Wayside  Hospital 
to  have  prepared  and  carried  to  the  station  a  plen- 
tiful supply  of  coffee,  brandy-toddy,  meat  and 
bread.  I  also  instructed  my  assistants  to  be  on 
hand  at  the  hour  indicated  with  surgical  dressings, 
etc.,  and  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  for  such 
work  as  they  might  be  called  upon  to  do. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  train,  I  found  that  it 
contained  about  an  equal  number  of  wounded  men 
from  the  two  armies — Confederates  and  Federals — 
occupying  alternate  cars,  and  all  hungry,  ex- 
hausted and  suffering. 

Followed  by  my  assistants  and  hospital  attend- 
ants, I  entered  the  first  car,  and  passed  consecu- 
tively through  theni  all,  giving  each  sufferer  in 
turn  food,  drink,  and  such  surgical  attention  as  he 
required,  without  taking'  into  consideration  either 
the  color  of  his  coat  or  the  side  upon  which  he  had 
fought.  Should  I  live  a  thousand  years  I  shall 
never  forget  the  expressions  of  gratitude  with 
which  those  stricken  men  received  my  ministra- 
tions or  the  terms  of  indignation  which  were  em- 
ployed by  a  number  of  "original  secessionists" 
— who,  instead  of  idling  at  the  depot,  should  have 
been  in  the  army  fighting  the  battles  which  they 
had  invoked — because  I  had  presumed  to  distribute 
to  the  Yankees  the  stores  which  rightfully  belonged 


332  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  the  State,  and  to  which  the  Confederate  wounded 
were  primarily  if  not  exclusively  entitled.  I  was 
attacked  so  severely  for  it  afterward  that  I  tendered 
my  resignation. 

I  immediatelv  souo-ht  Governor  Vance  and  ex- 
plained  the  circumstances  to  him.  "  Resignation, 
the  devil,'"  said  he,  with  that  charming  frankness 
and  kind  consideration  which  have  made  him  the 
idol  of  so  many  hearts;  '"'you  have  acted  like  a 
gentleman  and  a  Christian.  Had  your  conduct 
been  different  you  would  have  incurred  my  serious 
displeasure."  And,  yet,  he  was  the  man  upon 
whom  General  Lee  relied  as  his  right  arm  in  the 
darkest  days  of  the  Confederacy's  history,  and 
who,  though  opposed  to  secession  in  the  premises, 
did  more  in  the  end  to  sustain  "  the  cause  "  thai*^ 
all  the  carping  and  dodging  "originals"  com-' 
bined. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  of  many  others  which 
I  could  relate  if  space  permitted,  it  is  clear  that  no 
charge  of  cruelt}^  to  defenseless  prisoners  can  be 
brought  against  him,  and  that  his  record  in  this 
regard,  as  in  all  others,  is  as  pure  and  stainless  as 
the  icicle  upon  Diana's  temple. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  333 


LETTER   XXII. 

MISSION  TO  GENERAL  SHERMAN. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  was  with  the  Governor  when  the  dispatch  ar- 
rived announcing  the  supreme  disaster  which  had 
befallen  Greneral  Lee,  and  I  well  remember  the 
anguish  of  mind  which  it  occasioned  him.  We 
had  heard  of  the  retreat  from  Petersburg,  and  of 
the  arrival  of  the  President  and  his  Cabinet  at 
Charlotte  ;  but  we  had  taught  ourselves  to  rely  so 
implicitly  upon  the  valor  of  the  army  and  the  re- 
sources of  its  commander  that  the  idea  of  a  fatal 
and  final  catastrophe  was  difficult  to  realize.  A 
consultation  w^as  held  the  next  day  in  the  execu- 
tive chamber,  at  which  the  staff  of  the  Governor 
and  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  State  assisted, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  detei'mine  what  was 
best  to  be  done  toward  saving  the  capital  and  the 
public  property  from  destruction,  as  General  John- 
ston had  uncovered  Raleigh  and  General  Sherman 
was  advancing  rapidly  upon  it.  The  Governor  im- 
mediately announced  his  intention  to  ask  no  terms 
for  himself  and  to  follow  the  army  and  the  gov- 
ernment to  the  end. 

It  was  then  concluded  to  send  a  commission  to 
General  Sherman,  informing  him  that  his  entrance 
into  the  city  would  be  unopposed,  and  requesting 
him  to  take  measures  for  its  protection  and  that  of 
the  public  and  private  property  which  it  contained. 
'  Ex-Governor  Graham,  formerly  Secretary  of  the 


334  A  doctor's  experiences 

Navy,  and  ex-Governor  Swain,  president  of  the 
University — two  of  the  most  distinguished  and 
honored  citizens  of  the  State — were  selected  asi  com- 
missioners, while  Major  John  W.  Devereux,  quar- 
termaster of  the  State,  was  designated  as  the  officer 
to  conduct  the  train  and  to  carry  the  flag  of  truce. 

Prompted  by  an  inherent  love  of  adventure,  as 
well  as  by  a  desire  to  contribute  to  the  success  of 
an  enterprise  which  seemed  so  honorable  in  itself 
and  so  important  in  its  consequences,  I  asked  per- 
mission of  Grovernor  Vance  to  accompany  the  com- 
mission and  to  be  associated  with  its  direction. 
He  promptly  consented,  saying,  jocularly  :  ''I  be- 
lieve, Warren,  you  would  volunteer  to  go  to  the 
devil  if  an  expedition  were  started  for  the  domains 
of  his  Satanic  Majesty,"  and  gave  me  a  verbal  or- 
der to  the  end  which  I  have  indicated.  I  expected 
to  return  in  a  few  hours,  and  to  accompany  the 
Governor  in  his  retreat.  Indeed,  all  of  my  prep- 
arations had  been  made  with  that  object  in  view, 
my  family  having  been  sent  to  Edenton,  my  am- 
bulance with  my  personal  effects  having  been  dis- 
patched to  Hillsboro',  and  my  horse  being  kept 
saddled  and  bridled  so  that  I  might  start  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice. . 

With  an  engine,  a  tender  and  a  passenger  car 
over  which  a  white  flag  floated,  we  left  the  Ra- 
leigh depot,  and  soon  reached  the  Confederate 
lines — for  a  portion  of  the  cavalry  had  been  left  to 
confront  the  advancing  army '  and  to  watch  its 
movements— and  after  some  preliminary  formali- 
ties, the  train  moved  on  in  the  direction  of  the 
Federal  pickets.  Just  as  we  were  on  the  point  of 
entering  the  hostile  lines  a  Confederate  officer  was 
observed  galloping  after  us,  making  signs  for  us  to 
halt,  and  when  we  had  done  so,  he  informed  us 
that  President  Davis  or  some  high  official   coun- 


i 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  335 

termanded  the  flag  of  truce,  and  commanded  the 
return  of  the  commissioners. 

As  incomprehensible  as  this  command  seemed  at 
the  time,  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  obey  it, 
and  ordering  the  engineer  to  reverse  his  engine, 
we  started  for  Raleigh.  I  have  since  learned  that 
the  President  had  been  induced  to  believe  that  the 
object  of  the  mission  was  to  segregate  North  Caro- 
lina from  her  Southern  sisters  and  to  obtain  inde- 
pendent terms  for  her  at  the  hands  of  the  United 
States  authorities ;  whereas  it  was  sent,  simply 
and  exclusively,  to  prevent  the  burning  of  the  cap- 
ital, or,  in  other  words,  to  save  it  from  the  fate  of 
Columbia. 

All  doubt  in  this  regard  is  set  at  rest  by  the 
terms  of  the  order  which  Sherman  issued  in  re- 
sponse to  the  appeals  of  the  commissioners,  for 
they  eventually  reached  him,  as  1  shall  relate  in  a 
few  moments.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that 
the  commission  was  sent  several  days  subsequent  to 
the  surrender  at  Appornattox,  and  after  General 
Johnston  had  announced  his  purpose  to  uncover 
Raleigh,  and  that  it  started  not  alone  with  the 
knowledge  of  General  Hardee — who  was  then  in 
command  of  Raleigh — but  with  his  entire  approba- 
tion, as  is  established  by  the  fact  that  it  left  the 
city  by  his  authority,  and  with  instructions  from 
him  that  it  should  be  sent  through  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  regular  flag  of  truce. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  giving  the  facts 
connected  with  the  sending  of  this  commission, 
because  they  have  been  entirely  misrepresented, 
and  the  public  has  never  been  correctly  informed 
in  regard  to  them.  It  was  nothing  more  or  less 
than  a  patriotic  and  judicious  effort  to  save  the 
capital  of  the  State  from  destruction,  after  the 
Confederate  authorities  had  been  compelled  to  aban- 


f 


336  A  doctor's  experiences 

don  it,  witli  a  victorious  and  vindictive  army  at  its 
gates. 

That  which  was  repudiated  as  impolitic  and  im- 
proper was  subsequently  demonstrated  by  the  logic 
of  events  to  be  a  measure  of  supreme  wisdom  and 
propriety,  as  I  shall  proceed  to  establish. 

We  had  traveled  several  miles  on  our  homeward 
journey,  and  were  out  of  the  reach  of  danger  as 
we  supposed,  w^hen  I  was  suddenly  startled  by  hear- 
ing shouting  and  firing  in  advance  of  us  and  by 
perceiving  that  the  train  had  stopped.  Rushing 
to  the  front  door  of  the  car,  I  beheld  a  scene  and 
had  an  experience  which  can  never  be  blotted  from 
my  memory.  About  one  hundred  yards  in  front 
of  the  train  there  was  a  large  body  of  cavalry, 
whose  blue  uniforms  proclaimed  them  to  be  Fed- 
erals, and  whose  presence  indicated  that  they  had 
flanked  our  forces  and  internosed  themselves  be- 
tween  the  Confederate  line  and  the  city. 

The  moment  that  I  appeared  upon  the  platform 
they  fired  a  volley  at  me,  and  then,  with  wild 
yells  and  leveled  weapons,  came  rushing  toward 
the  train,  some  directing  themselves  to  the  engi- 
neer and  others  to  myself.  I  escaped  death  in  the 
first  instance  by  instinctively  crouching  behind  the 
tender,  and  in  the  second  by  waving  my  handker- 
chief in  token  of  surrender,  and  proclaiming  my 
military  status,  but  I  certainly  was  nearer  to  it 
than  at  any  time  in  my  life.  Putting  on  as  brave 
a  face  as  I  could  under  the  circumstances,  with  the 
muzzle  of  a  hundred  cocked  carbines  and  revolvers 
pointed  at  my  head  and  a  crowd  of  desperate  cav- 
alrvmen  cursins;  and  hootins:  around  me,  I  de- 
manded  the  name  of  the  ofiicer  in  command,  and 
claimed  his  protection  as  a  surgeon  and  a  prisoner 
of  war.  "  My  name  is  Godfrey,"  he  said,  "  Col-| 
onel  Godfrey,  of  General  Kilpatrick's  siaff.     I  will 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  33*7 

conduct  you  to  headquarters^  but  you  must  keep 
near  to  me,  for  these  are  a  wild  set  of  fellows,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  control  them."  Taking  him  at 
his  word,  I  leaped  from  the  car  so  as  to  "  keep  as 
near  to  him  as  possible,"  and  lookifig  toward  the 
other  end  of  the  train,  I  saw  the  commissioners  aild 
their  suite  descending  from  it,  the  most  forlorn  and 
dilapidated-looking  individuals  that  can  be  con- 
ceived of,  for  while  I  had  engaged  the  commander 
in  conversation  his  men  had  entered,  the  car  and 
^' gone  through"  the  entire  party.  My  position 
had  been  one  of  great  danger,  but  it  had  saved  me 
from  the  robbery  to  which  the  others  were  sub-, 
jected,  and,  though  I  had  one  hundred  dollars  in 
gold  about  me,  as  well  as  my  watch  and  chain,  I 
lost  nothing — which  was  some  compensation  at 
.least  for  the  fearful  ordeal  through  which  I  had 
passed. 

We  were  then  conducted  to  the  presence  of  the 
commanding  general,  and  though  I  immediately 
informed  him  who  the  commissioners  were,  and  of 
the  nature  of  their  mission,  pointing  to  the  white 
flag  which  was  still  flying  over  the  train  in  con- 
firmation of  my  statements,  he  affected  to  regard 
us  as  spies,  and  was  grossly  insulted. 

In  the  midst  of  the  interview  a  brisk  engage- 
ment began  in  such  close  proximity  that  he  was 
ojlad  to  bring  it  to  a  conclusion,  commanding  as  he 
did* so  that  the  prisoners  should  be  sent  to  the  rear 
and  kept  under  guard  until  he  had  determined  what 
disposition  to  make  of  them. 

While  walking  to  the  rear  we  encountered  a 
number  of  regiments  whose  soldiers  amused  them- 
selves by  indulging  in  rude  jests  at  our  expense, 
making  the  venerable  ex-governors  their  especial 
butts  and  targets,  as  they  were  dressed  in  long- 
22 


338  A  doctor's  experiences 

tailed  coats  and  tall  beaver  hats,  ante-helium  relics ^ 
which  they  had  especially  donned  for  the  occasion,    i 

But  with  measured  tread  and  the  dignity  of  * 
Eoman  Senators,  the  commissioners  walked  along 
indignant  to  the  last  degree,  but  stately,  silent  and,:, 
apparently  as  indifferent  to  their  tormentors  as  to 
the  rails  upon  the  surrounding  fences  or  to  the 
weeds  in  the  neighboring  fields.  Indecorous  as 
were  these  assaults^  and  philosophically  as  they 
were  borne,  there  was  something  so  essentially  lu- 
dicrous in  the  whole  performance  that  despite  the 
time  and  circumstances  I  could  not  help  being. 
amused  or  succeed  in  repressing  an  occasional  out- 
burst of  laughter.  Every  now  and  then  they  gave 
me  a  shot  as  well,  but  having  less  dignity  to  sup- 
port and  more  experience  with  the  manners  of  the 
field  to  fall  back  upon,  I  only  smiled  in  return  and. 
let  them  have  their  fun  without  comment  or  con- 
tention. Finally  the  staif  officer  in  charge  ordered 
a  halt  and  bade  us  adieu,  informing  us,  as  he  did 
so,  of  his  purpose  to  seek  us  later,  and  instructing 
the  guard  in  very  emphatic  terms  that  its  exclu- 
sive business  was  to  protect  us  and  to  preventg 
our  escape. 

As  there  was  a  house  upon  the  roadside,  we  en- 
tered it,  and  with  the  permission  of  the  owners 
made  it  our  headquarters  while  awaiting  our  fate. 
The  house  was  occupied  b}^  two  old  people,  wha 
after  years  of  patient  toil  had  accumulated  a  few 
comforts  for  their  declining  years.  They  were 
greatly  frightened  at  the  sudden  appearance  of 
Kilpatrick  and  his  "bummers,"  but  congratulated 
themselves  that  so  far  they  had  been  left  unmolested. 
We  encouraged  them  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  and 
promised  that  the  guard,  which  had  been  left  with 
us  should  extend  its  protection  to  them  and  ta 
their  possessions.     Fatal  mistake  !     Vain  promise  I 


IN   THREE   CONTIXENTS.  339 

No  sooner  had  the  officer  returned  to  his  post  than 
the  very  guard  upon  whose  good  offices  we  had  re- 
lied fell  to  work  and  robbed  them  mercilessly  of 
everything  which  belonged  to  them.  Deaf  alike 
to  our  protestations  and  to  the  appeals  of  their 
victims,  they  forced  themselves  into  the  house  and 
rifled  every  trunk,  chest  and  drawer  that  they 
could  find,  even  ripping  up  the  beds  and  pillows 
in  their  remorseless  search  for  booty.  Such  a  scene 
of  pillage  T  never  witnessed  before,  and  hope  never 
to  see  again,  and  yet,  being  without  arms  and  with 
our  own  lives  at  the  mercy  of  the  desperadoes,  we 
were  powerless  to  prevent  the  outrage  or  to  punish 
its  perpetrators.  After  a  lapse  of  several  hours — 
they  were  indeed  long  and  dreary  ojiies — we  were 
leconducted  to  General  Kilpatrick's  presence^  and 
were  informed  that  lie  had  concluded  to  send  us  to 
General  Sherman's  headquarters,  which  were  some 
ten  miles  distant  in  the  direction  of  Goldsborough. 
Instead  of  our  special  train  a  hand-car  was  pro- 
vided for  our  conveyance,  which  made  the  journey 
dangerous  and  exciting  to  the  last  degree  ;  for  a 
portion  of  the  road  was  supposed  to  be  in  possession 
of  Hampton,  while  the  remainder  was  held  by 
Sherman.  The  propulsion  of  the  car  was  confided 
to  two  negroes  while  I  was  compelled  to  expose 
myself  conspicuously  in  it  for  the  first  half  of  the 
distance,  my  uniform  bein^  the  newest  and  most 
conspicuous,  so  as  to  secure  immunity  from  the  Con- 
federates, and  Ihe  staff  officer  to  take  my  place  for 
the  second  half  in  order  to  prevent  an  attack  by  the 
Federals  You  can  imagine  better  than  I  can  por- 
tray what  were  my  emotions  as  I  stood  up  in  the 
car,  and  was  slowly  propelled  in  the  direction  of 
General  Sherman's  army,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
determine  how  far  my  uniform  would  be  respected 
by  our  side  or  when  it  might  invite  a  fire  from  the 
other — the  exact  position  of  the  respective  pickets 


340  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

being  necessarily  unknown.  For  about  an  bour, 
tberefore,  I  faced  deatb  continuously — expecting 
every  instant  to  feel  a  ball  crasbing  tbrougb  my 
body — and  all  because,  in  a  spirit  of  adventure  and 
from  a  desire  to  secure  tbe  success  of  a  plan  whicli 
I  deemed  of  vital  importance  to  the  State,  I  bad^ 
volunteered  for  an  enterprise  beyond  tbe  domain  of  j 
my  legitimate  department.  Ne  sutor  ultra  crepi- 
dam  bas  been  tbe  motto  of  my  subsequent  existence. 

I  do  not  deny  tbe  fact  tbat  I  was  dreadfully  nerv- 
ous while  tbus  exposed,  tbougb  I  would  rather  have 
died  than  have  permitted  my  companions  to  know 
tbe  real  state  of  my  mind  ;  and  I  forced  myself  to 
appear  as  cool  and  collected  as  if  I  were  simply  per- 
forming some  routine  work  in  my  office. 

Governor  Vance  tells  a  story  wbicb  illustrates 
my  own  experience  in  tbis  regard  most  admirably. 
According  to  bim  a  rabbit  once  jumped  up  before  a 
soldier  wbo  was  in  atigbtplace,  and  went  scudding 
away  for  its  life.  Stopping  deliberately  and  watch- 
ing intently  tbe  retreating  animal,  be  addressed  it 
in  tbis  wise  :  "Go  it  Molly  Cotton-tail!  Go  it 
Molly  Cotton-tail !    Go  it  white  you  may  ! — for  I 

wisb  I  may  be  d if  I  bad  no  more  reputation  tol 

lose  at  home  than  you  bave,  tbere  would  be  a  foot 
race  between  us,  you  bet." 

Tbe  courage  upon  wbicb  men  mount  tbe  bigbest 
pinnacle  of  fame  is  not  tbat  born  of  insensibilit}^  to 
danger,  but  of  a  pride  of  character  wbicb  dominates 
tbe  fear  of  death  and  drains  tbem.  to  tbe  post  of 
duty  at  all  bazards  and  at  any  sacrifice. 

General  Sherman  received  tbe  commissioners  witb 
marked  consideration,  accepting  and  respecting  tbe 
flag  of  truce  notwithstanding  itsprevious  recall  or 
tbe'circuitous  route  by  wbicb  it  readied  bim.  On 
tbe  following  morning  he  sent  them  back  in  tbe  cap- 
tured  train,  bearing    an    order    commanding   the 


m    THREE    CONTINENTS.  341 

soldiers  and  officers  of  hit  army  to  protect  the 
city  of  Raleigli  and  all  the  public  and  private  prop- 
erty within  its  limits,  provided  that  no  act  of  hos- 
tility was  committed  there  against  the  forces  of  the 
United  States. 

On  arriving  at  Raleigh  we  were  greeted  with 
the  sight  of  the  burning  depot  and  the  announcement 
that  the  Governor  and  state  officials  had  departed. 
Having  heard  of  the  capture  of  the  train  and  our 
detention  as  prisoners  of  war,  he  concluded  that  the 
mission  had  failed,  and  at  an  early  hour  of  the 
succeeding  morning  he  left  the  city  to  share  the 
fortunes  of  the  falling  Confederacy,  as  he  had  an- 
nounced his  purpose  to  do  in  the  premises.  The 
commissioners  therefore  placed  G-eneral  Sherman's 
order  in  the  hands  of  Major  Devereux  and  myself, 
with  instructions  to  use  it  according  to  our  discre- 
tion, and  then  attempted  to  reach  their  homes 
further  west. 

Hurrying  to  the  point  whither  the  mayor  had 
gone  to  surrender  the  city  to  Kilpatrick  and  to 
crave  Ms  clemency  in  its  behalf,  we  arrived  just  in 
time  to  stay  the  hand  of  that  vindictive  partisan  by 
presenting  to  his  astonished  gaze  the  considerate 
order  of  his  superior.  He  had  no  conception  of  its 
existence  until  that  moment,  and  though  he  read 
it  with  a  scowling  countenance,  he  wilted  under  its 
peremptory  terms  and  assumed,  immediately  an  air 
of  extreme  complaisance.  In  a  word,  it  was  thus 
made  apparent  that  the  commission  had  under  the 
direction  of  Providence  been  made  an  instrument 
for  the  preservation  of  the  State  capital — had  saved 
Raleigh  from  the  fate  of  Columbia.  In  the  prog- 
ress of  events  the  benefits  accruing  from  it  became 
still  more  conspicuous,  for  though  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  victorious  troops,  habituated  to 
plundering,  and  with  their  worst  passions  excited 


342  A  doctor's  experiences 

by  the  unfortunate  circumstances  of  the  President's 
assassination,  occupied  the  city  for  several  weeks, 
public  and  private  property  was  absolutely  re- 
spected, and  not  a  citizen  was  injured  or  insulted. 

I  am  proud,  therefore,  to  have  been  connected 
with  this  mission,  and  to  realize  that  it  was  my 
lot  to  contribute  in  some  measure  to  its  success. 

Kilpatrick,  thus  baffled  in  his  vengeance  and  de- 
jDrived  of  his  expected  booty,  sought  consolation  in 
a  grand  entry  into  the  city.  Accompanied  by  his 
staff  and  body-guard  and  followed  by  the  maj^or 
and  common  council  on  foot,  with  flags  flying  and 
bugles  sounding,  he  marched  up  Fayetteville  street 
and  formally  took  possession  of  the  capital  in  the 
name  of  the  authorities  of  the  United  States. 

An  incident  occurred,  however,  on  this  triumphal 
march  which  came  near  cutting  short  his  career, 
and  threatened  the  most  serious  consequences  to 
the  city  and  its  inhabitants. 

Just  after  the  cavalcade  had  passed  the  Yar- 
borough  House  two  soldiers  belonging  to  Wheeler's 
cavalry  rushed  out  of  a  store  which  they  had  been 
engaged  in  pillaging,  mounted  their  horses,  fired 
at  Kilpatrick,  and  fled  precipitately  in  the  direction 
of  the  retreating  army. 

For  some  moments  the  greatest  excitement  pre- 
vailed. The  body-guard  deployed  hastily  as  skir- 
mishers ;  the  staff  surrounded  its  chief  so  as  to 
protect  him  with  their  bodies  ;  and  the  air  was 
filled  with  a  din  of  mingled  shouts,  commands  and 
imprecations.  The  marauders  had  fired  so  quickly 
that,  though  the  report  of  their  guns  had  been 
heard  generally,  only  a  few^  persons  knew  precisely 
what  had  occurred.  Having  witnessed  the  whole 
affair,  I  rushed  up  to  Kilpatrick  and  explained  it 
as  rapidly  and  as  thoroughly  as  possible,  and  en- 
treated him  to  remember  that  it  was  only  an  act  of 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  343 

individual  ruffianism  for  which  its  perpetrators 
alone  should  he  held  responsible.  Fortunately,  he 
took  the  right  view  of  the  situation,  and  gave  vent 
to  his  anger  by  ordering  that  the  fugitives  should 
be  immediately  pursued  and  when  captured  hung 
in  the  Capitol  grounds.  '•  All  rights  General,"  I 
said,  ''but  do  not  hold  the  city  responsible  for 
their  act,  I  implore  you."  He  scowled  fiercely  and 
said  :  "If  they  are  not  captured  and  hung  I  shall 
hold  somebody  responsible,"  giving  me  a  glance  of 
intense  malignity  ;  and  it  really  looked  as  if  he 
might  expend  his  vengeance  on  me  or  on  any  one 
who  chanced  to  be  in  the  way  if  the  perpetrators  of 
the  outrage  were  not  speedily  captured  and  executed. 
In  about  half  an  hour  I  saw  the  pursuers  re- 
turning with  the  marauders  tied  to  their  saddles, 
and  I  soon  ascertained  that  they  were  to  be  hung 
"  withih  ten  minutes  to  the  nearest  tree  " — a  judg- 
ment which  was  immediately  executed. 


344  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XXIII.  f 

•     I 

COLOXEL  BAYLOR,  U.  S.  A.  ^5 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  should  have  mentioned  that  a  few  moments 
after  my  arrival  at  Sherman's  camp  an  officer  ap- 
proached me,  and  introducing  himself  as  ^'  Colonel 
Baylor,"  asked  :  '^  Are  you  Dr.  Warren,  of  Eden- 

''Yes,  and  I  know  you  very  well  by  reputation," 
I  answered. 

"  You  must  then  be  my  guest  for  this  occasion," 
he  said,  and  conducting  me  to  his  tent,  he  over- 
whelmed me  with  kindness — treated  me  not  as  a 
prisoner,  but  as  a  brother  in  all  regards. 

After  our  separation  in  Kaleigh  I  never  saw 
him  ajTrain  until  a  short  time  since  in  Paris — 
embracing  a  period  of  eighteen  years — when  I 
hastened  ''to  kill  the  fatted  calf  for  him  in  re- 
turn for  his  previous  kindness.  To  be  thus  treated 
when  I  was  hungry,  fatigued  and  depressed  by  the 
prospects  of  imprisonment,  produced  a  lasting  im- 
pression upon  my  mind  and  filled  my  heart  with 
the  sincerest  gratitude. 

Though  a  Virginian  by  birth  he  remained  in  the 
United  States  Army  during  the  war,  and  conse- 
quently made  many  enemies  among  his  own  people, 
but  he  is  too  brave  and  true  a  man  to  have  been 
prompted  by  other  than  the  highest  conceptions  of 
duty,  and  his  fidelity  to  the  obligations  of  friendship 
shows  him  to  be  a  gentleman  by  instinct  as  well  as 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  345 

by  descent  and  association.  There  are  two  things 
about  which  I  make  it  a  rule  never  to  quarrel  with 
any  man,  and  they  are  his  religion  and  his  politics, 
however  widely  he  may  differ  from  me  or  whatever 
the  extremes  into  which  they  carry  him.  Ortho- 
doxy or  heterodoxy  in  these  regards  are  matters  for 
the  supreme  intelligence  alone,  and  he  who  erects 
a  standard  by  which  to  determine  them  for  others 
simply  assumes  the  role  of  a  bigot  and  a  partisan. 
The  road  which  a  man  conscientiously  believes  in 
and  persistently  adheres  to  is  '^the  way"  for  him, 
and  no  one  has  the  right  to  criticise  or  to  question 
him  for  following  it. 

The  succeeding  days  were  exciting  ones  in  Ra- 
leigh. General  Sherman  having  received  intelli- 
gence of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  and 
fearing  its  effect  upon  the  soldiers,  called  a  con- 
sultation of  its  most  prominent  citizens,  and  advised 
with  them  as  to  the  best  means  of  breaking  it  to 
the  army  and  of  providing  against  hostile  demon- 
stration upon  its  part,  thus  showing  throughout 
an  absolute  loyalty  to  the  engagements  which 
he  had  undertaken  with  the  commissioners. 
Thanks  to  his  forethought  and  promptness  of  ac- 
tioh  the  danger  w^as  tided  over,  and  the  feeling  of 
intense  anxiety  which  pervaded  the  community  for 
many  days  after  that  great  calamity  gave  place  to 
a  sentiment  of  security  and  confidence. 

Apart  from  the  conservatism  which  General 
Sherman  displayed  in  his  negotiations  with  General 
Johnston,  there  is  a  page  of  secret  history  upon 
which  his  liberal  views  toward  North  Carolina  and 
her  people  are  most  conspicuously  written. 

General  Frank  Blair  took  up  his  headquarters 
in  my  house  with  my  consent,  and  in  proposing  to 
do  so  he  assured  me  that  I  might  "  go  further  and 
fare  worse"  in  the  way  of  a  guest — that  some  one 


346  A  doctor's  experiences 

might  take  forcible  possession  of  my  premises  and" 
drive  me  out  of  them.  I  was  thus  placed  in  position 
to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  efforts  which  he  in 
conjunction  with  General  Scofield  made  to  secure 
the  restoration  of  North  Carolina  to  the  Union  with- 
out that  preliminary  process  of ''reconstruction" 
which  subsequently  proved  so  prolific  of  humiliation 
and  annoyance  to  her  people. 

Coming  home  at  a  late  hour  one  night  he  said  to 
me  :  "  Get  pen,  ink,  and  paper  and  help  me  to  pre- 
pare a  document  of  great  importance.  You  must 
do  the  writing,  for  I  am  fatigued,  and  do  not  wish 
my  staff  to  know  anything  about  the  matter  at 
present."  I  did  as  he  requested,  and  we  prepared 
together  an  order  such  as  he  informed  me  Sherman 
was  disposed  to  issue,  as  it  conformed  with  the  views 
which  Mr.  Lincoln  had  recently  expressed  to  him. 

By  the  terms  of  that  order  North  Carolina  was. 
to  be  immediately  restored  to  the  Union  without  | 
the  loss  of  a  single  element  of  her  sovereignty,  and 
with  all  the  machinery  of  her  existing  government 
— with  Governor  Vance  in  the  executive  chair  and 
his  administration  re-established  in  statu  quo. 

On  the  succeeding  day  the  General  assured  me 
that  lie  had  had  an  interview  with  Sherman,  and 
had  exhibited  to  him  the  draft  of  the  order  which 
I  had  written,  and  that  he  (Sherman)  had  ap- 
proved of  it  in  every  particular,  and  would  issue 
it  at  once.  We  retired  that  night  with  light  hearts 
in  the  full  conviction  that  we  had  solved  the  prob- 
lem of  reconstruction  so  far  as  North  Carolina  was 
concerned,  and  had  restored  the  Union  of  the 
fathers  of  the  republic  in  all  of  its  original  integ- 
rity, only  to  be  awakened  on  the  succeeding  morn- 
ing by  the  terrible  intelligence  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
assassination  and  the  consequent  overthrow  of  our 
cherished  plans.     Of  course  with  that  dire   calam- 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  347 

ity  staring  him  in  the  face,  and  the  succession  of  a 
man  to  the  Presidency  with  whose  views  he  was 
unacquainted,  and  who  immediately  inaugurated 
the  policy  of  ^'making  treason  odious,"  General 
Sherman  could  not  issue  the  order,  and  was  even 
compelled  to  recede  from  his  half  completed  arrange- 
ments with  General  Johnston. 

Within  a  month  from  that  time  Governor  Vance, 
instead  of  occupying  the  executive  chair  of  North 
Carolina,  was  himself  an  inmate  of  the  old  Capi- 
tol prison,  and  it  was  not  until  after  many  a  long 
year  and  a  terrible  experience  with  arbitrary  mili- 
tary rulers,  partisan  provisional  governors,  greedy 
carpet-baggers,  adventurers,  bloody  Ku-klux  clans 
and  a  general  bankruptcy,  that  the  State  regained 
that  position  in  the  Union  to  which  the  plan  inau- 
gurated by  Generals  Blair  and  Scofield,  and  ap- 
proved by  General  Sherman,  would  have  imme- 
diately secured  to  her. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  enter  into  the  question  of 
General  Sherman's  previous  conduct,  but  I  can  tes- 
tify from  facts  within  my  personal  knowledge  that 
from  the  day  of  the  visit  of  the  commissioners  up 
to  that  of  his  departure  from  North  Carolina,  he 
displayed  a  liberality  of  sentiment,  a  kindness  of 
feeling  and  a  loyalty  of  conduct  which  did  him  in- 
finite honor,  and  entitled  him  to  be  regarded  as.  a 
friend  and  benefactor  of  her  people.  '•'Fiat  justi- 
tia,  mat  coelum." 

I  witnessed  the  grand  review  which  he  held  at 
Raleigh  when  the  final  collapse  of  the  Confederacy 
afi'orded  him  an  opportunity  to  give  free  indulgence 
to  that  love  of  display  which  constitutes  so  impor- 
tant a  factor  in  his  singular  character. 

Seventeen  army  corps,  each  with  a  full  comple- 
ment of  cavalry  and  artillery,  marched  up  Fayette- 
ville  street  and  by  the  main  gate    of  the    Capitol, 


348  A  doctor's  experiences 

where  the  General,  mounted  on  his  blooded  charger 
in  grande  tenue,  and  surrounded  by  his  staff  officers 
and  major-generals,  awaited  to  inspect  them.  Each 
man  of  that  vast  multitude,  in  the  completeness  of 
his  equipment,  the  precision  of  his  movements  and 
in  all  that  constitutes  a  perfect  soldier,  looked 
more  like  a  member  of  some  pampered  volunteer 
company  than  a  veteran  of  a  hundred  fields,  while 
the  entire  mass  seemed  endowed  with  the  intelli- 
gence and  spontaneity  of  a  vitalized  organism.  As  I 
listened  for  hours  to  the  tread  of  these  countless 
legions,  so  complete  in  their  equipment,  thorough 
in  their  organization  and  admirable  in  their  dis 
cipline — the  representative  of  all  that  could  be 
conceived  of  ^'  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glori- 
ous war" — I  could  but  feel  a  profound  admiration 
for  the  genius  which  had  perfected  such  a  mighty 
instrument  of  destruction  and  conquest,  and  a  su- 
preme realization  of  the  heroism  and  fortitude 
of  the  ragged,  half-starved  and  comparatively  un- 
organized arm}^  which  for  four  years  of  unequal 
conflict  had  defied  its  power,  and  had  finally  suc- 
cumbed, not  so  much  to  its  prowess  as  to  the  force 
of  circumstances  and  to  the  laws  of  nature. 

And  reflecting  that  the  war  was  over,  I  forgot 
that  these  matchless  soldiers  were  our  conquerors, 
and  my  heart  beat  with  a  fuller  tide  and  a  prouder 
impulse  as  I  recognized  them  as  compatriots — the 
protectors  of  a  united  people  and  the  guardians  of 
a  common  country. 

As  my  mission  was  ended  and  a  new  regime  es- 
tablished I  obtained  permission  to  join  my  family 
at  Edenton,  and  left  the  capital  a  sadder  and  a 
poorer  man  than  I  had  entered  it,  but  cheered  by 
the  reflection  that  I  had  labored  faithfully  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  my  position,  and  had  rendered 
some  service  to  North  Carolina  and  her  people. 


I 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  349 

I  went  to  Kew  Berne  by  train  and  thence  to  Eden- 
ton  by  steamer,  the  oath  of  allegiance  having  been 
demanded  by  the  provost  marshal  as  the  condition 
precedent  of  my  embarkation.  At  the  former 
place  I  was  overwhelmed  by  visits  from  Edenton 
negroes  who  had  taken  refuge  there  d-uring  the  war, 
and  who  seemed  delighted  to  see  me  again ,  as  my  rela- 
tions with  them  in  ante-bellum  days  had  always 
been  most  friendly.  I  was  struck  with  the  fact 
that  a  large  majority  of  the  callers  were  females, 
and  on  asking  an  explanation  I  was  informed  that 
nearly  all  the  males  had  been  killed  at  Plymouth 
a  few  months  previously. 

It  seems  that  immediately  on  their  arrival  there 
they  were  put  to  work  on  the  fortifications,  and 
that  when  the  Confederates  invested  the  place  the 
women  were  sent  away  in  transports  and  the  men 
were  forced  into  the  ranks  to  fight  for  their  liberty 
and  their  lives.  Scattered  like  "  chaff  before  the 
wind"  by  the  charge  of  Ransom's  veterans,  scarcely 
one  was  left  to  tell  the  story  of  their  annihi- 
lation, for  quarter  was  never  given  when  that 
unfortunate  race  offered  the  gage  of  battle  to 
the  white  men  of  the  South. 

As  the  poor  creatures  had  mostly  been  reared 
as  house  servants,  and  had  no  acquaintance  with 
manual  labor  or  familiarity  with  the  use  of  arms, 
the  freedom  (?)  which  they  sought  by  the  desertion 
of  their  masters  was  thus  paid  for  most  dearly — 
by  dreary  lives  in  the  trenches  and  bloody  deaths 
upon  the  battle-field. 

I  had  been  reared  with  them  and  they  had  been 
my  patients  for  years,  and  the  sad  story  of  the 
"hard  lines"  and  the  'Hiospitable  graves"  w^hich 
they  found  in  the  Utopia  of  their  dreams  wrung 
my  heart  to  its  core,  accustomed  as  it  was  to  life's 
sorrows  and  vicissitudes.     To  Madam  Roland's  dy- 


350  A  doctor's  experiences 

ing  exclamation,  *'Ali,  Liberty,  how  many  crimes 
have  been  committed  in  thy  name  !"  there  might 
be  added  with  equal  truth,  ''and  what  mistakes 
have  been  made!"  for  there  is  something  in  the 
term  which  unsettles  men's  reason  and  transforms 
them  into  fools  or  lunatics.  These  negroes  were 
slaves  but  in  name^  for  they  carried  the  keys  and 
were  really  the  masters  of  the  situation,  and  yet 
they  eagerly  fled  from  the  homes  in  which  they 
had  been  petted,  indulged  and  pampered,  that  they 
might  be  free. 

"  Lords  of  themselves,  that  heritage  of  woe." 

Pardon  me  for  dwelling  on  the  negro  under  the 
new  dispensation  of  liberty  and  equality.  I  had 
sent  with  my  family  to  Edenton  three  negro  men  ; 
in  whose  fidelity  I  had  the  utmost  confidence.  The 
oldest  was  Primus^  and  although  his  skin  was 
Ethiopian  his  heart  was  as  pure  as  "the  gold  of  the 
mines."  He  was  the  husband  of  my  baby's  nurse, 
and  he  loved  "the  family"  as  if  it  were  his  by 
blood  and  birth.  So  far  from  rejoicing  in  the 
freedom  which  had  been  "proclaimed"  to  him  it 
only  pained  his  faithful  soul  to  lose  his  master,  and 
he  showed  even  more  attachment  and  attention  ta 
us  than  he  had  done  before.  In  fact  he  rejected 
the  proffered  boon  of  liberty,  and  clung  to  his  con- 
dition of  servitude  with  unfaltering  tenacity.  He 
prided  himself  especially  on  being  a  "  democratic 
darkey,"  and  went  persistently  to  the  polls  intent 
upon  voting  for  "  Mass  Govnor  Vance"  for  every 
office  in  the  gift  of  the  people. 

When  questioned  in  regard  to  his  pertinacious 
support  of  the  Grovernor,  he  said:  "Well,  you 
see,  boss,  the  Governor  and  me,  we  sarved  together 
in  the  war,  and  he  is  a  friend  of  my  master — that's 
enough  for  old  Primus."     The  weeds    of  fifteen 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  351 

years  have  grown  and  withered  upon  his  humble 
grave  at  the  '••  Chinquapin  Chapel,"  but  I  honor 
it  as  much  as  if  it  were  adorned  by  a  marble  shaft, 
for  as  good  a  man  sleeps  beneath  it  as  ever  served 
the  Lord  or  honored  a  master. 

The  second  was  Gabe,  a  cadaverous-looking  fel- 
low of  some  eighteen  years,  who  was  just  the 
laziest  and  the  most  affectionate  darkey  that  ever 
rejoiced  in  an  owner.  He  stuck  to  me  like  some 
faithful  dog,  refusing  to  work  on  his  own  account 
or  for  any  one  save  his  "master  and  missus." 
His  constitution  was  delicate,  and  with  no  one  to 
care  for  his  health  or  to  nurse  him  when  sick — as 
we  were  separated  from  him — he  soon  fell  a  victim 
to  the  freedom  for  which  so  much  blood  was  shed, 
but  only  proved  to  him,  as  to  many  of  his  race, 
a  calamity  and  a  curse.  Poor  boy  !  He  had  a 
kind  heart  under  that  mahogany-colored  skin  of 
his,  and  as  a  slave  he  would  have  lived  a  long  and 
useful  life.  Liberty  was  the  last  thing  that  he 
needed  or  desired,  and  he  died  of  it. 

The  last  was  called  by  the  classic  name  of  Cupid, 
though  I  could  never  trace  its  origin.  He  was  a 
bright  mulatto  with  nearly  straight  hair,  light 
blue  eyes,  regular  features,  and  a  frame  possessing 
unusual  grace  and  power.  I  purchased  him  just 
before  the  war,  not  that  I  wanted  him  particularly, 
but  to  keep  him  from  being  separated  from  a 
mother  who  loved  him  dearly,  and  appealed  to  me 
in  moving  terms  to  save  her  son  from  the  hands  of 
a  •'  negro-trader."  I  was  much  attached  to  this 
young  man,  trusting  him  in  all  things  and  believ- 
ing him  to  be  specially  devoted  to  me  and  mine. 
The  first  thing  that  I  learned  on  my  arrival  at 
Eden  ton  was  of  his  desertion  of  my  familv  and 
the  insolence  of  his  manner  whenever  he  met  them. 
When  I  questioned  Primus  and  Gabe  in  regard  to 


352  A  doctor's  experiences 

his  conduct  they  informed  me  that  he  had  alway 
been  ungrateful  ;  that  he  was  inherently  a  rascal 
and  that  he  had  avowed  his  determination  to  insul 
me  so  soon  as  he  found  the  opportunity  by  way  o 
showing  himself  a  free  man  and  the  equal  of  an}' 
one.      Old  Primus  added:    "You  see,  masser,  you 
is  a  white  man  and  you  can't  thrash  dat  ar  darkey 
like  fore  de  war  times,  while  de  gun-boats  is  in  de 
bay  and  de  Yanks  is  a  prowlin'  aroun',  but  little 
Gabe  and  I  is  niggers  and  we  kin  do  it  for  sartin. 
So  if  you  say  the  word,  we'll  just  give  him  sich  a 
good  old-fashioned  trouncin'  as  he  never  bad  in  bis 
life."      '^No,  Primus,  I  would  not  have  you  touch 
him  on  my  account,  but  just    give  him  a  warning 
from    me :     Tell    him    gun-boat   or    no    gun-boat, 
Yanks  or  no  Yanks,  if  he  dares  to  address  one  in- 
sulting word  to  me  I  will  give  him  my  horse-whip 
if  I  am  hung  for  it  the  next  moment."     After  that 
he  avoided  me,  but  I  was  ]3rovoked  immeasurably 
by  his  conduct  on  the  afternoon   of  my  departure 
from   Edenton.     I  went  upon    the    little    steamer 
which  was  to   convey  me  to  Norfolk,  and  Primus 
and   Gabe   were  busily  engaged   with   my  trunks 
when  Cupid  made  his  appearance  accompanied  by 
some  half  dozen  of  his  friends,  all  very  drunk.     He 
and    they    commenced  by  jeering   at  Primus  and 
Gabe  for  their  attentions  to  me,  addressing  them  in 
the  most  insulting  terms  and   bantering  them  for 
a  "  fist  fight."'     Growing  bolder  at  length  they  in- 
terposed between  the  steamer  and  my  trunks,  and 
swore  that  they  should   not  be   carried   on   board.. 
Seizing    a    club,   I  sprang    ashore,    intending    to} 
settle  the  matter  summarily,  but  my  faithful  friends.- 
were  in  advance  of  me,  and  in  a  moment  they  were^ 
wielding  two  good   hickories  which  they  had  pre-,^ 
pared  for  the  occasion,  and  with  so  much  efiect  that, 
the  intruders  were  driven  back  precipitately,  while 


IX   THREE    CONTINENTS.  353 

my  faithful  friends  were  left  masters  of  the  field. 
Assisted  by  some  other  sympathetic  darkeys,  they 
soon  had  the  trunks  on  board  ;  and  with  a  liberal 
reward  to  them  and  a  friendly  shake  of  their  hon- 
est hands  I  bade  them  adieu,  and  started  out  to  re- 
trieve my  shattered  fortunes — to  recommence  the 
battle  of  life.  I  never  saw  the  traitor  again,  but 
I  heard  that  shortly  afterward  he  shipped  in  a  ves- 
sel for  New  York,  and  some  six  years  subsequently 
I  received  a  letter  from  his  mother  asking  for  some 
intelligence  respecting  him,  as  from  the  day  of  his 
departure  he  never  had  been  heard  of.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  he  ended  his  days  in  a  penitentiary. 
Since  then  I  have  had  no  opinion  of  mulattoes,  be- 
lieving that,  as  a  general  rule,  they  inherit  the 
vices  of  the  white  man  without  the  redeeming  vir- 
tues of  the  negro. 

I  have  referred  to  the  presence  of  the  gun-boats 
in  the  bay,  and  I  must  take  this  occasion  to  men- 
tion the  courtesy  which  their  officers  extended  to 
me.  Immediately  on  my  arrival  Captain  Sands — 
the  paymaster  of  the  fleet — accompanied  by  several 
officers  called  to  'pay  their  respects,  and  from  that 
time  forward  the  most  cordial  relations  existed  be- 
tween them  and  myself.  Commodore  McComb 
overwhelmed  me  with  civilities,  and  he  and  all 
connected  with  him  manifested  their  warmest  sym- 
pathy for  us  in  connection  with  the  unnatural  will 
to  which  I  have  referred  in  another  portion  of  this 
narrative. 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  war  and  for 
some  months  afterward,  the  sounds  and  rivers 
of  the  eastern  section  of  North  Carolina  swarmed 
with  gun-boats,  and  their  officers  were  brought  into 
daily  association  with  our  people,  and  I  am  proud 
to  record  the  fact  that  their  conduct  was  universally 
kind,   just   and  considerate.     Both    at   home  and 

9?. 


354  A  doctor's  experiences 

abroad  I  have  had  an  ample  opportunity  of  form- 
ing a  proper  estimate  of  the  officers  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying- 
that,  as  a  class,  they  are  an  ornament  to  society 
and  an  honor  to  their  country — that  they  are  es- 
sentially and  pre-eminently  gentlemen. 

I  do  not  like  to  describe  Edenton  as  I  found  it 
after  the  war.  It  had  j^reviously  been  known  as  the 
"Athens  of  North  Carolina,"  renowned  for  the 
education,  culture,  and  high  tone  of  its  people,  and 
beautiful  beyond  compare  in  luxuriant  gardens^ 
shaded  streets,  drooping  cypresses,  grassy  greens,J 
and  tasteful  mansions.  Besides,  I  never  knew  a 
place  in  which  public  sentiment  possessed  so  healthy 
and  vigorous  a  tone  ;  where  virtue,  decency,  and 
respectability  were  so  highly  esteemed,  and  whose 
social  lines  were  drawn  with  such  absolute  sharp- 
ness and  unfailing  accuracy. 

Though  not  a  hostile  gun  was  fired  within  its 
limits,  the  war  completely  changed  its  character 
and  aspect.  It  mingled  and  remolded  its  social' 
elements  ;  raised  up  a  multitude  of  pretentious 
oracles  in  place  of  a  unique  and  dominating  public 
sentiment ;  destroyed  the  prestige  and  the  spirit  of 
its  people,  and  transformed  the  j^lace  into  a  mere 
specter  of  its  former  self.  Four  years  of  peril  and 
apprehension  silenced  the  voice  alike  of  religion, 
law,  taste  and  social  obligation,  and  left  it  chaotic 
and  perturbed  in  all  regards. 

As  conspicuous  as  had  been  the  part  which  I  had 
played  in  the  community,  and  as  great  as  were  the 
services  rendered  both  by  my  father  and  the  rector, 
I  found  myself  almost  forgotten  there — a  veritable 
fossil  of  some  traditional  period — with  scarcely  an 
acquaintance  to  confer  with  or  a  friend  to  depend 
upon.  I  felt,  indeed,  like  a  second  Kip  Van  Win-  ; 
klC;  with  everything  strange  around  me,  and  I  the 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  355 

strangest  of  them  all.  When  human  nature  is 
removed  from  the  restraints  of  society,  and  left  to 
the  domination  of  its  own  inherent  selfishness — to 
the  pursuit  exclusively  of  its  individual  ends  and 
interests — it  straightway  becomes  callous,  con- 
tracted and  contemptible  in  a  manner  and  to  a 
degree  that  no  previous  calculation  can  determine,^ 
and  only  a  personal  experience  can  appreciate^ 
This  has  been  my  experience,  and  I  record  it  as 
such  for  your  edification. 

It  is  but  just  to  say,  however,  that  the  old  place 
has  gradually  recovered  from  its  physical  prostra- 
tion and  its  moral  debasement,  and  is  rapidly  re- 
gaining its  pristine  character  and  its  w^onted  at- 
tractiveness. 


356  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XXIV. 

BALTIMOEE  AFTEE  THE  AVAR. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  left  Baltimore  occupying  a  conspicuous  position^ 
in  the  possession  of  independent  means,  the  idol  of 
an  enthusiastic  class,  the  pet  of  an  admiring  com- 
munity, and  with  everything  in  life  wearing  the 
freshness  and  glamour  of  a  May  morning.  I  re- 
turned to  find  myself  dispossessed  of  my  chair,  he- 
reft  of  my  property,  forgotten  by  my  pupils,  ignored 
by  my  friends,  and  with  everything  around  and 
before  me  covered  with  the  blight  and  gloom 
of  December. 

On  many  a  morning  I  awakened  to  the  conscious- 
ness that  I  had  not  a  cent  of  money  in  my  pocket, 
nor  a  crust  of  bread  in  my  house.  Poverty,  nay, 
•actual  want  stared  me  in  the  face  for  many  an  anxious 
month.  Because  we  had  decent  clothes  to  wear 
few  realized  that  we  were  suffering  for  the  neces- 
saries of  life — for  food  to  eat  and  fuel  to  keep  us 
warm.  Without  means,  annoyed  by  the  demands 
of  pretended  creditors,  importuned  for  assistance 
hj  still  more  impoverished  relatives  and  comrades, 
having  no  friends  upon  whom  I  could  call  for  assist- 
ance, and  almost  maddened  by  the  pressing  neces- 
sities of  those  who  were  nearest  and  dearest  to  me, 
my  life  at  that  period  was  simply  a  prolonged 
agony — an  '  existence  whose  component  elements 
were  clouds,  darkness  and  despair.  I  was  saved 
from  utter  failure — from  the  poor-house  or  the  basin 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  35 T 

— by  the  kindness  o^ four  persons  upon  whom  I  had 
no  claim  tvhatever,  but  who  in  the  providence  of 
God  came  to  my  rescue  in  that  dire  extremity. 
You  sought  me,  and  by  your  kind  S3^mpathy,  your 
brave  and  self-sacrificing  championship,  inspired 
me  with  the  courage  to  breast  the  storm  and  to 
defy  its  power.  General  Boioerman^  a  Federal  sol- 
dier whose  house  adjoined  my  own,  by  sending  us 
food  daily  in  the  guise  of  delicacies  for  a  sick  child, 
actually  saved  us  from  starvation.  J/r.  Daniel 
Dorsey,  the  proprietor  of  Barnum's  Hotel,  also 
proved  a  friend.  Having  had  the  good  fortune  to 
attract  his  attention  by  some  happy  cures  among 
his  guests  he  gave  me  the  practice  of  his  house, 
which. furnished  enough  of  ready  money  to  supply 
my  most  pressing  wants.  And,  finally,  mv 
old  friend,  Joseph  M.  Levy^  the  gambler  of  the 
Sweet  Chalybeate,  appeared  upon  the  scene  and 
played  the  role  of  a  faithful  and  a  most  liberal 
benefactor. 

He  owed  me  an  account  for  professional  services 
rendered  before  the  war,  and  I  sent  an  agent  to 
hunt  him  up  and  to  ascertain  if  he  was  sufficiently 
"flush"  to  permit  him  to  settle  with  me  without 
embarrassment  to  himself.  My  agent  informed  me 
that  he  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  him,  and  that 
when  he  presented  my  bill  tears  came  rolling  into 
the  old  fellow's  eyes,  and  he  said:  "What!  has 
my  old  friend  and  physician  turned  up  at  last ! 
Thank  God  for  it !  Of  course  I  will  pay  the  bill. 
I  would  do  so  with  pleasure  were  it  ten  times  as 
much.  Take  the  money  to  him  with  my  compli- 
ments, and  tell  him  that  I  shall  call  on  him  to- 
morrow," 

Sure  enough,  he  presented  himself  on  the  next 
day,  and  so  well  dressed  that  I  hardly  recognized 
him  as  he  rushed  into  the  room,  threw  his  arms- 


358  A  doctor's  experiences 


1 


around  me,  and  exclaimed:  "Thank  God  that 
have  lived  to  see  you  again,  my  dear,  dear  friend! 
I  was  greatly  touched  by  the  old  man's  kindly 
^greeting,  and  I  begged  him  to  be  seated  and  to  tell 
me  what  he  had  been  doing  with  himself  during  1 
the  long  years  of  our  separation.  ''  What  have  I 
been  doing?"  he  answered,  ''why,  I  have  been 
getting  rich.  While  you  have  been  throwing  your 
time  and  your  money  away  in  that  devilish  war 
the  good  Lord  has  been  taking  care  of  me — He  has 
been  putting  enough  money  in  my  pocket  to  make 
me  comfortable  for  the  rest  of  my  days.  And,  be- 
sides, I  have  been  getting  me  a  new  wife,  my  old 
one  having  died  soon  after  you  left  town  of  cancer 
of  the  stomach,  according  to  your  prediction." 

Upon  questioning  him  further,  I  ascertained  that 
his  brother,  Commodore  Levy,  had  died  two  years 
previously,  leaving  a  will  which  divided  the  whole 
■of  his  fortune  between  the  United  States  and  the 
State  of  Virginia  ;  that  the  will  had  been  set  aside 
by  the  courts  for  indefiniteness  ;  that  the  real 
estate  was  soon  to  be  sold  and  divided,  and  that 
i;he  portion  coming  to  each  of  the  heirs-at-law 
would  not  be  less  than  forty  thousand  dollars. 

"  Yes,  at  least  forty  thousand  dollars,  my  dear 
friend,  and  I  shall  be  ready  to  divide  the  last  cent 
with  you,"  he  added  with  an  earnestness  which 
made  my  heart  leap. 

'^  With  me!"  I  said.  '' Divide  with  me  !  What 
in  God's  name  have  I  done  to  merit  such  gener- 
osity ?" 

"  You  treated  me  like  a  gentleman  when  every 
one  else  turned  his  back  on  me.  You  saved  my 
life  when  I  was  at  the  jumping-oif  place,  and  as 
long  as  I  have  a  cent  it  belongs  to  you  as  much  as 
it  does  to  me,  '"  he  answered. 

"  But  what  will  your  new  wife  say,  my  friend?" 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  359 

^^Oh,  she  married  me  when  I  was  a  poor  man, 
and  she  will  be  satisfied  with  what  I  give  her  ;  be- 
sides, I  shall  have  enough  for  both  of  you,"  was 
his  reply.  "  By  the  way,"  he  went  on  to  say,  ''  I 
am  not  overflush  at  present,  but  I  have  brought 
fifty  dollars  for  you,  supposing  that  you  were  hard 
up.  In  three  weeks  I  shall  have  my  property  and  the 
next  day  I  shall  send  you  a  thousand  dollars  to  help 
to  keep  the  pot  a-biling  until  you  can  get  into  busi- 
ness. The  fact  is,  I  am  going  to  help  you,  and  I 
don't  care  a  cuss  what  you  or  anybody  else  may 
say  on  the  subject.  Where  is  your  good  wife?  I 
want  to  see  her,  too." 

^'Mr.  Levy,"  I  said,  blubbering  like  a  baby,  "I 
don't  know  how  to  thank  you.  You  can  never 
compirehend  what  a  service  you  have  rendered  me 
— even  by  a  loan  of  fifty  dollars — what  a  load  you 
have  taken  from  my  heart  by  your  great  kindness, 
your  unlooked-for  and  most  princely  generosity. 
You  will  find  me  a  friend,  and  a  most  grateful  and 
devoted  one,  to  the  last  day  of  my  life.  Let  me 
call  my  wife  ;  she  will  be  as  grateful  as  I  am." 

My  wife  came  into  the  room  and  greeted  the  old 
man  in  that  sweet,  kindly  way  which  belonged  to 
her ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the  smile  which 
illumined  her  face,  as  with  great  drops  standing  in 
her  eyes,  she  glanced  for  a  moment  toward  Heaven 
in  mute  but  eloquent  gratitude  for  the  succor  which 
had  so  unexpectedly  come  to  us  in  our  hour  of  su- 
premest  adversity  and  trial.  "Bless  you!  God 
bless  you,  Mr.  Levy  !"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  ex- 
tended her  hands  to  the  old  man  in  token  of  her  ap- 
preciation and  thankfulness. 

Alas  for  human  calculations !  In  a  day  or  two 
after  this  interview  he  was  seized  with  a  malady 
which  defi.ed  my  skill,  and  died  within  a  week — 
before  he  had  come   into  his  inheritance.     He  did 


360  A  doctor's  experiences  } 

not  forget  me,  however.  On  the  day  preceding 
his  death  he  made  a  will,  in  which,  after  Ijequeath- 
ing  two-thirds  of  his  property  to  his  wife,  and 
leaving  several  legacies  to  charitable  institutions, 
he  divided  the  remainder  equally  between  another 
old  friend  and  myself.  He  supposed  that  he  had 
given  me  at  least  five  thousand  dollars,  and  he 
died  consoled  and  tranquilized  by  the  reflection 
that  he  had  saved  me  from  want  and  had  started 
me  in  life.  This  gift  would  have  been,  indeed,  a 
god-send,  could  I  have  obtained  possession  of  it  at 
that  moment,  but  it  was  otherwise  ordained.  Mr. 
Levy's  heirs-at-law,  a  brother  and  sister,  who  had 
profited  equally  with  him  by  the  indefiniteness  of 
the  Commodore's  bequest  and  who  had  not  been 
on  speaking  terms  with  him  for  ten  years,  were  in- 
duced to  contest  this  will  ;  and  it  was  only  after 
several  years  of  annoyance  and  delay  that  the  case, 
was  decided.  Of  course,  the  will  was  established 
as  soon  as  it  could  be  discussed  upon  its  merits,  and 
I  received  my  long-expected  legacy,  but  greatly 
reduced^  as  at  least  one-half  of  the  estate  was  con- 
sumed in  court  expenses  and  lawyers'  fees.  Noth- 
ing could  have  been  more  unjust  than  this  contest, 
as  its  instigator  well  knew  in  the  premises  and  as 
was  made  apparent  in  the  trial  of  the  case. 

The  grounds  upon  which  this  iniquitous  pro- 
ceeding was  based  were  allegations  to  the  effect 
that  the  parties  were  not  legally  married  ;  that 
undue  influence  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  mind  of  the  testator,  and  that  he  was  7ion  com- 
pos mentis  when  the  instrument  was  executed. 
After  several  years  of  delay  and  sundry  ofi'ers  of 
compromise  the  case  was  finally  called  for  trial, 
when  the  wife  produced  in  court  not  only  her  mar- 
riage certificate  but  the  clergyman  who  performed  j 
the   ceremony  and  a  number  of  persons  who  at- 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  361 

tended  the  wedding;  while  the  other  grounds  of 
contest  were  so  effectually  disposed  of  b}^  the  testi- 
mony of  many  disinterested  witnesses  that  the  law- 
yers for  the  defense  found  it  unnecessary  to  make 
an  argument  and  the  jury  requested  permission  to 
return  an  affirmative  verdict  without  leaving  the 
room. 

And  yet  it  was  possible  for  a  greedy  attorney 
and  two  unprincipled  heirs  to  institute  proceedings 
and  to  prolong  them  for  three  years  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  money  through  the  instrumentality  of  a 
compromise  or  by  the  breaking  of  a  will  which 
gave  the  bulk  of  a  man's  property  to  the  wife  of 
his  bosom  and  was  executed  according  to  the  strict- 
est requirements  of  the  law.  Surely  our  statutes 
in  regard  to  the  matter  of  wills  require  some  radi- 
cal change,  having  for  its  object  the  restraint  of 
hungry  attorneys  and  the  protection  of  defenseless 
legatees. 

Messrs.  Wallis  and  Dallam,  the  attorneys  for 
the  will,  and  splendid  gentlemen  as  well,  congrat- 
ulated me  on  the  manner  in  which  my  testimony 
was  given,  and  Mr.  Steele,  who  entered  the  cause 
at  a  late  hour  and  in  good  faith,  sought  my  ser- 
vices in  another  case  of  importance,  saying,  in  that 
connection:  '^I  have  sought  you  because  of  the 
manner  in  which  you  gave  your  testimony  in  the 
Levy  case.  The  story  which  you  then  told  of  your 
relations  with  that  old  man  w^as  one  of  the  most 
interesting  I  ever  heard,  and  you  are  the  only  wit- 
ness that  I  have  ever  failed  to  shake  in  a  cross-ex- 
amination." '^Ah!"  said  I,  "'truth  is  stranger 
than  fiction,'  and  you  had  to  do  with  a  witness 
who  had  the  facts  upon  his  side,  and  who  was 
pleading  for  the  rights  and  interests  of  a  suffering 
family.  Besides,  having  had  experience  as  a  lec- 
turer, I  am  accustomed  to  think  upon  my  feet,  and 


362  A  doctor's  experiences 

am  not  abashed  by  having  to  'speak  in  public  on 
the  stage.'  "  The  best  part  of  the  whole  matter, 
excepting  the  handling  of  the  money,  was  that  the 
judge  who  tried  the  case — the  Hon.  G.  W.  Dob- 
bin— became  from  that  time  one  of  my  warmest 
friends. 

The  clouds  gradually  cleared  away  and  the  sun ' 
began  again  to  shine  for  me ;  and  the  first  use 
which  I  made  of  my  prosperity  was  to  organize 
another  medical  school  in  Baltimore.  Through 
the  influence  of  Dr.  Thomas  W.  Bond  I  secured 
the  charter  of  a  defunct  school,  improvised  a  fac- 
ulty, organized  a  dispensary,  and  established  the 
Washington  University,  in  opposition  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland.  The  greatest  good  fortune 
attended  the  effort.  By  establishing  a  "benefic- 
iary system"  with  reference  to  the  disabled  soldiers 
of  the  South,  large  classes  were  immediately  at- 
tracted. By  persistent  appeals  to  the  legislature 
of  Maryland  a  liberal  appropriation  was  promptly 
secured.  By  proper  representations  to  the  cit}^ 
council  it  was  induced  to  sell  us  a  building  admir- 
ably suited  to  our  purposes  at  a  mere  nominal 
price.  By  good  management  the  collector  of  the 
port  was  persuaded  to  give  us  the  contract  for  at- 
tending the  sailors,  thus  supplying  us  with  abund- 
ant material  for  our  clinics.  And  by  sound  judg- 
ment and  good  diplomacy  the  school  was  made  a 
success  in  all  regards.  In  vain  was  it  railed  at  as 
"Warren's  school,"  a  scheme  for  "personal  re- 
venge," and  an  "eleemosynary  institution."  It 
stood  and  grew  and  flourished  with  each  succeed- 
ing year,  and  took  a  high  position  alike  in  Balti- 
more and  throughout  the  Union.  In  this  enter- 
prise I  was  ably  seconded  by  Drs.  Byrd,  Scott, 
i'ord,  Logan,  Chancellor,  Moorman,  Claggett  and 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  363 

Powell,    natives    of  the    South  and  gentlemen  of 
character  and  talent. 

Unfortunately,  differences  arose  in  the  faculty 
in  i-egard  to  matters  of  management,  etc.,  which 
resulted  in  my  retirement  and  in  the  final  disrup- 
tion of  the  school.  Nothing  daunted,  and  still 
"believing  the  field  an  inviting  one,  I  united  with 
Drs.  Opie,  Byrd,  Howard,  Lynch,  Goolrick"^  and 
Murray — all  excellent  men — in  the  organization  of 
another  ^school,  which  we  called  "The  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Baltimore,"  and  which 
proved  likewise  a  splendid  success,  and  is  to-day 
one  of  the  leading  institutions  of  the  country.  In 
both  of  these  schools  I  occupied  the  chair  of  sur- 
gery, and  with  what  success  you  are  better  able  to 
judge  than  myself.  I  will  only  say  that  my  thorough 
training  in  anatomy  by  Dr.  Davis,  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia,  and  my  extensive  surgical  experi- 
ience  during  the  war,  greatl}^  lightened  my  labors, 
and  enabled  me  to  secure  the  confidence  and  good- 
will of  my  classes  to  an  extent  that  was  exceedingly 
gratifying  to  my  amour  propre  and  very  unpalata- 
ble to  my  rivals  generally. 

Professor  Nathan  H.  Smith,  the  surgeon  of  the 
University  of  Maryland — and  a  very  great  surgeon 
he  was — could  brook  no  rivalry,  and  made  it  a  point 
to  give  me  a  shot  whenever  the  occasion  offered. 
Of  course,  I  returned  the  fire  to  the  best  of  my 
ability.  On  one  occasion  in  a  public  lecture  he 
sneered  at  my  clinic  as  ''a  comedy — a  comedy  of 
errors. "  On  the  day  succeeding,  when  a  number  of 
his  students  were  present,  I  referred  to  the  remark 
and  said  :  "  Since  histrionic  comparisons  have  been 


"^To  Dr.  Goolrick,  who  is  now  a  successful  practitioner  in  the 
city  of  Washington,  I  desire  to  return  my  sincere  thanks  for 
some  recent  favors,  in  connection  with  which  he  showed 
himself  a  faithful  friend  and  an  able  coadjutor. 


364  A  doctor's  experiences 

invited,  the  clinics  of  the  me?7/ar(i  of  the  University 
remind  me  of  tragedies — they  always  culminate  in 
a  death,"  referring  to  the  ill  success  which  had 
attended  some  of  his  operations.  This  remark 
brought  down  the  house  tremendously  and  ban- 
ished the  visitors  for  the  remainder  of  the  session. 
I  struck  a  blow  for  which  I  was  never  forgiven. 

In  the  whole  of  this  controversy  I  was  prompted 
by  no  feelings  of  personal  malignity — though  God 
knows  I  had  sufficient  justification  for  it — but  by  a  j 
spirit  of  rivalry  such  as  the  occasion  warranted  and 
was  legitimate  in  itself.  Can  you  say  as  much  for 
my  opponents  ?  I  fear  not,  my  friend,  as  you  came 
near  losing  the  friendship  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent of  them  by  your  manly  championship  of  me. 
Of  one  thing  I  am  convinced  as  my  mind  reverts 
to  that  time  and  its  incidents  :  every  moment  which 
was  thus  given  to  medical  instruction  and  to  col- 
lege management  was  absolutely  wasted  so  far  as  ■ 
my  most  essential  interests  were  concerned.  I 
should  have  been  happier  then  and  richer  now  if  I 
had  devoted  myself  exclusively  to  the  study  and 
practice  of  medicine.  It  is  difficult  to  serve  two 
masters,  and  the  physician  who  devotes  himself 
either  to  talking  politics  or  to  teaching  medicine  is 
to  that  extent  faithless  to  his  proper  calling — the 
healing  of  the  sick  and  the  accumulation  of  means 
for  his  family.  The  advice  which  I  would  give  to  ! 
a  young  physician  starting  out  in  his  career  is  to 
avoid  both  the  political  arena  and  the  lecture  room 
if  he  desires  substantial  professional  prosperity. 
These  side  issues  in  medicine  may  pay  in  ephem- 
eral glory,  but  not  in  substantial  success  and  ''ple- 
thoric bank  accounts."  And  yet  there  is  something 
in  the  title  and  the  prerogatives  of  a  professor 
which  is  wonderfully  fascinating,  as  I  know  from 
experience   and   observation.      When    a  man  has 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  365 

made  bis  mark  and  accumulated  a  competency,  a 
college  chair  is  a  very  comfortable  place  for  bim  to 
end  his  days  in,  but  until  then  it  is  best  to  avoid 
it,  as  you  have  had  the  good  sense  to  do. 

By  way  of  episode  I  give  the  incident  related 
below,  believing  that  though  rather  out  of  place  it 
may  not  prove  uninteresting. 

During  the  retreat  of  General  Johnston's  army 
through  Raleigh,  I  was  requested  to  visit  a  Con- 
federate officer  who  lay  wounded  at  the  house  of 
Major  Dover eux,  a    short  distance  from  the  city. 

I  found  him  a  remarkably  handsome  young 
fellow,  from  South  Carolina,  and  the  brother  of  a 
distinguished  cavalry  general  who  has  since  played 
a  conspicuous  part  in  the  politics  of  that  State. 

He  had  been  wounded  a  few  days  previously  by 
a  conical  ball,  which  passed  through  the  upper  arm 
immediately  above  the  elbow  joint,  and  he  was  re- 
duced to  the  last  degree  of  prostration  by  repeated 
hemorrhages  6f  the  most  profuse  and  uncontrollable 
character. 

Of  delicate  organization,  enfeebled  by  forced 
marches  and  insufficient  food,  and  almost  exsan- 
guinated. I  found  him  with  a  rapid  and  scarcely 
perceptible  pulse,  bathed  in  a  clammy  perspiration, 
and  almost  in  a  state  of  positive  collapse. 

It  seemed  indeed  as  if  death  had  already  claimed 
him  for  its  own,  and  that  he  had  but  a  few  hours  to 
live,  though  his  intellect  was  unclouded,  and  there 
was  a  glint  in  his  clear  blue  eye  which  told  of  a 
hopeful  nature  and  an  indomitable  spirit. 

The  surgeon  in  attendance,  having  in  vain  at- 
tempted to  prevent  the  recurrence  of  the  hemor- 
rhage, and  realizing  that  he  could  not  spare  the 
loss  of  an  additional  amount  of  blood,  had  determined 
to  ligate  the  artery  above  the  wound,  and    I  was 


366  A  doctor's  experiences 

called  in  to  determine  the  propriety  of  the  operation 
and  to  assist  in  its  performance  if  necessary. 

"His  condition  is  desperate,"  I  remarked,  when 
we  had  retired  for  consultation. 

"That  is  undoLihtedly  true,"  responded  my 
colleague,  "and  prompt  interference  is  necessary 
to  give  him  a  chance  for  life.  The  artery  is  severed 
and  must  be  tied  or  he  will  certainly  bleed  to 
death . " 

"  Have  you  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the 
wound?  Are  you  sure  that  the  bone  has  escaped  in- 
jury ?  Are  you  convinced  that  an  amputation  is 
unnecessary?'"   I  inquired. 

"No,  Doctor,  I  have  not  made  a  thorough  ex- 
ploration of  the  injury.  He  has  positively  refused 
to  permit  me  to  make  an  examination.  The  profuse 
and  repeated  bleeding  shows  what  we  have  to  deal 
with,  and  establishes  the  indication  for  treatment," 
he  answered. 

"  But^  suppose  that  together  with"  the  severance 
of  the  artery  there  is  a  compound  and  comminuted 
fracture  of  the  humerus,  involving  the  articulation, 
would  it  not  be  better  to  ascertain  it,  and  to  am- 
putate the  limb  rather  than  tie  the  vessel?  My 
impression  is  that  if  Captain  B.  survives,  he  will 
go  through  life  with  an  empty  sleeve — that  sooner 
or  later  he  must  lose  his  arm.  The  proper  course 
is  to  get  ready  either  to  ligate  or  to  amputate,  then 
to  put  him  under  the  influence  of  chloroform,  and 
after  having  determined  the  precise  nature  and  ex- 
tent of  the  injury,  to  perform  the  operation  which 
the  circumstances  of  the  case  demand.  I  think  we 
shall  end  by  amputating  the  arm.  Doctor,"  was  my 
rejoinder.  My  suggestion  was  adopted,  with  the 
result  of  discovering — as  I  had  predicted — a  com- 
pound comminuted  fracture  of  the  humerus,  involv- 
ing the  articulation,  and  surrounding  it  a  pultaceous 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  367 

mass  of  devitalized  tissues,  in  wliicli  the  ends  of  the 
severed  artery  were  unrecognizable.  Amputation 
at  a  point  of  election  was  immediately  performed, 
and  though  every  possible  measure  of  precaution 
and  means  for  bringing  about  reaction  were  em- 
ployed, the  patient  reacted  so  slowly — so  profound 
a  condition  of  collapse  ensued — that  for  a  long  time 
I  thought  he  would  inevitably  succumb.  He  did 
rally,  however,  in  the  end,  but  I  left  him  scarce 
daring  to  hope  that  there  was  a  chance  for  his  re- 
covery, believing  in  fact  that  death  was  almost  in- 
evitable under  the  circumstances. 

The  two  succeeding  days  were  spent,  as  I  have 
previously  related,  in  the  society  of  Sherman  and 
Kilpatrick,  but  I  sent  a  messenger  so  soon  as  cir- 
cumstances would  admit  to  inquire  concerning  his 
condition,  and  you  can  judge  of  my  astonishment 
when  I  learned  that  at  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
he  insisted  upon  being  jDlaced  in  an  ambulance  and 
driven  off  with  the  retreating  army — declaring 
that  he  meant  to  die  as  he  had  lived,  a  ''  freeman," 
and  to  be  buried  by  his  friends  "  in  the  old  grave- 
yard at  Edgefield." 

Some  months  subsequent  to  the  surrender  I  was 
seated  in  my  office  at  Baltimore,  when  a  tall^  hand- 
some blue-eyed  young  man,  with  an  empty  sleeve 
dangling  at  his  side,  entered,  and  with  the  ex- 
clamation :  "I  am  delighted  to  see  you  once  more, 
Dr.  Warren,"  threw  his  remaining  arm  around  my 
neck,  and  embraced  me  in  the  most  demonstrative 
manner. 

''But,  my  dear  sir/'  I  exclaimed,  ''You  have 
the  advantage  of  me.     I  do  not  recognize  you." 

"  Don't  know  me?' I  am  Captain  B ,  whose 

life  you  saved  at  Major  Devereux's  house,  just 
before  Johnston's  retreat." 


368  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

My  allusion  recently  made  to  law  courts  reminds 
me  to  claim  some  professional  triumphs  in  connec- 
tion with  them,  which  I  have  always  contemplated 
with  pride  and  satisfaction.  In  one  case  a  poor 
fellow  had  been  arraigned  for  the  murder  of  his 
wife,  to  whom  I  knew  him  to  be  greatly  attached, 
it  being  alleged  that  he  had  given  her  a  blow  in 
his  rage  at  her  desertion  of  him,  which  developed 
puerperal  fever  after  her  confinement.  Without 
friends  or  the  means  with  which  to  employ  counsel, 
he  appealed  to  me  for  sympathy  and  assistance,  and 
I  devoted  myself  to  an  investigation  of  the  case 
with  the  result  of  rendering  the  giving  of  the  blow 
problematical,  and  of  proving  that  the  sagefemme 
had  communicated  the  disease  to  the  wife.  He  was  I 
therefore  promptly  acquitted,  and  some  time  after- 
ward, when  the  wife  of  the  judge  who  presided  at 
the  trial  was  attacked  with  puerperal  fever,  he 
had  me  called  as  a  consulting  physician.  It  thus 
happened  that  my  intervention  resulted  in  the  res- 
cue of  the  accused  from  an  ignominious  death  upon 
the  gallows,  and  in  securing  for  myself  the  confi- 
dence and  friendship  of  Judge  Gilmore,  who  then 
presided  over  the  Criminal  Court  of  Baltimore. 
In  another  instance  a  negro  woman  had  been  con- 
victed of  the  crime  of  iafanticide,  and  the  day  for 
her  execution  had  been  appointed.  At  the  request 
of  Mr.  W.  H.  Perkins — than  whom  there  are  few 
more  genuine  humanitarians — I  determined  to  in- 
vestigate the  evidence  produced  against  her,  with 
a  view  of  securing  the  clemency  of  the  governor. 
Having  before  me  a  memorandum  of  the  "  proof  of 
guilt,"  the  accuracy  of  w^iich  was  indorsed  by  the 
State's  attorney,  I  devoted  myself  to  a  study  of  the 
case  for  an  entire  week,  and  then  wrote  out  with 
great  care  an  argument  in  support  of  the  proposi- 
tion that  the  child  had  never  breathed,  and  that  it 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  369 

had  not  been  subjected  to  violence.  Tbis  paper 
was  duly  submitted  to  tbe  Executive  of  tbe  State, 
and  upon  the  strength  of  it  he  promptly  intervened 
and  saved  the  poor  creature's  life.  He  subsequently 
stated  that  my  argument  was  unanswerable  ;  and 
few  things  in  life  have  given  me  more  satisfaction 
than  the  reflection  that  I  was  directly  instrumental 
in  saving  the  life  of  an  innocent  woman,  and  espe- 
cially of  one  who  was  poor,  friendless  and  for- 
saken . 
24 


370  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XXV. 

THE  WHAETOX  CASE. 

My  Dear  Doctor: 

The  other  instance  in  which  I  can  claim  to  have 
saved  a  human  being  from  the  gallows  was  the 
famous  case  of  Mrs.  Wharton,  who  was  tried  at 
Annapolis  in  the  winter  of  '71-' 72  for  the  alleged 
poisoning  of  General  Ketchum.  Some  time  in  the 
summer  of  1871  I  was  sent  for  by  Mr.  Thomas, 
the  well-known  advocate  of  Baltimore,  between 
whom  and  myself  the  following  conversation  oc- 
curred : 

Mr.  Thomas:  ^' Dr.  Warren,  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  sending  for  you  to  ask  you  a  few  ques- 
tions, and  then  to  make  a  request  of  you.  Let  me 
begin  by  asking  what  you  think  of  Mrs.  Wharton  ?" 

Dr.  Warren:  "I  know  nothing  about  her  save 
what  the  papers  state,  viz:  that  she  has  killed 
General  Ketchum,  and  has  been  arrested  for  it.  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  she  is  guilty." 

Mr.  Thomas:  ''  Is  your  opinion  of  her  guilt  so 
firmly  fixed  in  your  mind  as  to  preclude  you  from 
making  a  candid  investigation  of  the  medical  facts 
of  the  case  ?" 

Dr.  Warren:  '^I  certainly  have  no  prejudice 
against  the  woman." 

Mr.  Thomas  :  '^  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so. 
Doctor.  I  have  confidence  in  your  judgment,  and 
in  your  courage  to  maintain  your  opinions.  I  want 
you  then  to  do  me  the  favor  to  examine  the  facts  of 


m    THREE    CONTINENTS.  371 

this  case — to  investigate  them  candidly,  and  in  the 
interest  of  truth  and  justice  alone — and  then  to  in- 
form me  of  your  conclusions.  Will  you  do  this 
for  me,  Dr.  Warren?" 

Dr.  Warren:  '' My  decision,  Mr.  Thomas,  will 
depend  upon  your  response  to  one  preliminary 
question.  Do  you  as  a  man — as  a  gentleman — be- 
lieve her  innocent?  Of  course  as  her  lawyer  you 
€an  exercise  your  own  discretion  whether  to  answer 
it  or  not." 

Mr.  Thomas:  "I  have  not  the  slightest  hesita- 
tion in  answering  the  question.  I  believe  her  to 
be  absolutely  innocent." 

Dr.  Warren:  "That  settles  the  matter.  I  will 
make  the  most  searching  examination  provided 
that  you  procure  for  me  a  written  statement  from 
the  physicians  who  attended  G-eneral  Ketchum  of 
•exactly  what  they  observed  in  the  way  of  ante- 
mortem  symptoms  and  post-mortem  lesions.  You 
must  also  give  me  ample  time  to  make  this  exam- 
ination, and  speak  to  no  other  physician  on  the 
subject  until  I  have  made  my  report.  At  the  same 
time  I  shall  claim  the  privilege  of  conferring  with 
my  friend,  Dr.  John  Morris,  for  I  am  in  the  habit 
of  talking  freely  to  him  on  all  subjects." 

He  consented  to  my  conditions,  and  in  a  few 
days  he  brought  to  me  written  statements  from  the 
attending  physicians  as  to  what  they  had  observed 
at  the  bed-side  and  upon  the  dissecting  table.  For 
several  weeks  I  devoted  myself  to  an  examination 
of  the  facts  thus  presented,  seeking  with  an  un- 
biased mind  and  an  impartial  judgment  to  elimi- 
nate "  the  truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth"  from 
them.  I  then  sought  Mr.  Thomas,  and  unfolded 
the  process  of  reasoning  by  which  I  had  arrived  at 
the  conclusion,  that  both  symptoms  and  lesions 
jrrecluded  the  loossihility  of  a  death  from  antiraonial 


372  A  doctor's  experiences 

poisoning,  and  that  it  more  probably  resulted  from 
a  disease  known  as  cerebro  spinal  meningitis,  which 
had  prevailed  in  an  epidemic  form  in  Baltimore 
contemporaneously  with  General  Ketchum's  fatal 
sickness. 

Before  reading  these  notes  I  requested  him  ta 
endeavor  to  find  some  defect  in  my  argument,  as 
I  had  been  unable  to  detect  one.  He  heard  me 
through  with  all  the  powers  of  his  well-trained 
mind  directed  to  the  discovery  of  a  flaw  in  the 
chain  of  reasoning  with  which  I  sought  to  bind 
together  my  premises  and  my  conclusion,  and  when 
I  had  finished  the  task,  he  arose  from  his  chair  and 
shook  me  warmly  by  the  hand,  with  the  exclama- 
tion :  "Complete,  perfect,  unanswerable.  Our 
case  is  won — an  innocent  woman  is  saved  from  the 
gallows." 

'^I  am  glad  you  like  it,"  I  answered.  '^  To  my 
mind  it  is  unanswerable,  and  I  am  delighted  to 
find  that  it  appears  so  to  you." 

"  It  is  a  demonstration  and  will  stand  any  test. 
I  must  send  for  Mr.  Steele  at  once,  and  then  ask 
you  to  go  over  the  ground  with  him,  for  I  want 
his  mind  enlightened  and  satisfied  as  mine  ha& 
been." 

Mr.  Steele  entered  the  room  wearing  an  anxious 
expression  of  countenance,  which  even  the  favor- 
able assurances  of  his  confrere  did  not  dissipate,  re- 
marking: "  You  will  have  a  tremendous  array  of 
talent  against  you.  Dr.  Warren.  The  current  of 
public  opinion  sets  so  strongly  against  Mrs.  Whar- 
ton that  I  can't  induce  the  medical  fi^iends  upon 
whom  I  relied  for  help  to  have  anything  to  do  with 
the  case.    But  let  me  hear  what  you  have  prepared. "^ 

"  I  have  taken  all  that  you  say  into  considera- 
tion already,"  I  replied,  "  and  T  beg  you,  as  I  have 
already  begged  Mr.  Thomas,  to  point  out  any  weak 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  373 

point — any  defective  link — in  my  chain  of,  reason- 
ing." 

''  Read  on,  then,  and  we  shall  see,"  he  answered 
rather  gruffly,  evidently  mistaking  my  great  solici- 
tude for  rampant  egotism. 

He  placed  his  hands  behind  him  and  paced  the 
room  as  I  read,  testing  my  every  word  and  idea  in 
the  crucible  of  his  analytic  mind,  and  when  I  had 
concluded  he  turned  suddenly  and  said:  "There 
is  no  weak  point  in  it  ;  from  beginning  to  end  it  is 
as  strong  as  iron ;  we  shall  save  her,  brother 
Thomas,  never  mind  who  the  doctor  may  have  ar- 
rayed against  him,  and  whether  those  I  counted  on 
€ome  up  to  the  mark  or  not.  Now,  Doctor,  let 
me  advise  you  to  keep  your  argument  to  yourself 
so  that  the  other  side  will  not  attempt  to  refute  it 
in  advance." 

"  As  for  that,  Mr.  Steele,  I  am  perfectly  willing 
to  submit  it  to  the  hazard  of  any  answer  that  can 
be  prepared  against  it,  for  truth  is  mighty  and  will 
prevail  against  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil. 
Nevertheless,  I  shall  take  your  advice,  so  as  to  make 
assurance  doubly  sure.  Let  me  give  some  advice 
in  turn  :  be  sure  to  employ  the  best  chemical  ex- 
perts that  can  be  found,  for  the  attempt  may  be 
made  to  produce  the  metal  and  thereby  to  give  a 
practical  answer  to  everything  that  may  be  said  in 
regard  to  symptoms  and  lesions.  I  am  confident 
that  there  never  was  a  particle  of  antimony  in 
General  Ketch  urn's  body,  but  you  must  have 
scientific  witnesses  on  hand  to  expose  any  trick 
that  may  be  attempted  in  that  connection,"  said  I, 
as  I  folded  up  my  manuscript  and  bade  them 
"good  morning,"  duly  satisfied  with  the  estimate 
they  had  placed  upon  my  work. 

As  you  were  present  at  that  exciting  trial  it  is 
unnecessary  to  enter  into  details  respecting  it,  and 


374  A  doctor's  experiences 

I  will,  therefore  simply  confine  myself  to  my  per- 
sonal experiences  at  Annapolis.  In  due  course  I 
was  placed  upon  the  w^itness  stand,  and  in  a  lecture 
of  several  hours'  duration  I  unfolded  the  argument 
which  had  already  given  so  much  satisfaction  ta 
the  attorneys  for  the  defense. 

I  am  sure  you  will  bear  me  out  in  saying  that  it» 
effect  upon  the  jury  was  such  as  to  render  the  ac- 
quittal of  the  prisoner  almost  a  matter  of  certainty. 

I  had  hardly  regained  my  hotel,  however,  before 
the  lawyers  for  the  defense  came  to  me,  and,  with  the 
gravest  of  countenances,  said  :  "We  have  come.  Dr. 
Warren,  in  the  first  place  to  congratulate  you  on 
your  evidence,  which  was  the  clearest  and  most  logi- 
cal that  could  have  been  given,  and  to  our  minds  i& 
absolutely  unanswerable,  but  we  have  to  tell  you, 
in  the  seco?2C?p^ace,  that  the  other  side  profess  to 
be  as  well  satisfied  as  we  are,  declaring  that,  a& 
subtle  and  plausible  as  your  theories  appear,  they 
will  shatter  their  foundation  to-morrow — that  you 
have  unconsciously  walked  into  '  a  trap,'  with 
which  you  are  to  be  caught  and  hung  up  to  ridi- 
cule and  ruin  in  the  cross-examination.  Are  you 
absolutely  sure  of  your  positions?  Have  you  an 
idea  of  what  they  mean  by  these  confident  threats 
— these  bold  assurances  ?" 

"My  dear  sirs,"  I  answered,  "it  is  talk,  the 
merest  bravado.  I  am  confident  of  my  positions. 
I  have  weighed,  measured  and  analyzed  every 
stone  alike  of  their  foundation  and  their  super- 
structure, and  they  will  stand  any  test,  I  assure 
you.  I  know  every  man  with  whom  we  have  to 
deal  and  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid  of  their  criti- 
cism." 

"Well,"  said  they,  "we  are  perfectly  satisfied 
with  the  work  of  to-day,  and  we  hope  and  believe 
that   you  will    sustain  yourself  to-morrow  ;"    and 


IN   THREE   CONTINEXTS.  37S 

they  then  retired  rather  more  cheerful  in  spirit,  hut 
still  very  anxious  as  to  the  result  of  the  cross-ques- 
tioning. 

First  one  friend  and  then  another  called  after- 
ward, each  jubilant  over  what  had  already  oc- 
curred, and  yet  apprehensive  in  regard  to  what 
was  to  follow  ;  but  I  maintained  to  them  all  the 
same  confident  and  self-assured  manner. 

1  made  it  a  point  to  attend  a  ball  at  the  hotel  that 
night,  wearing  a  smiling  countenance,  but  still  an- 
noyed because  of  'Hhe  trap  "  which  confronted  me 
in  the  glances  and  greetings  of  every  one.  After 
retiring  to  my  chamber,  I  remained  until  nearly 
daybreak  poring  over  my  books  in  search  of  the 
snare  which  had  thus  been  set  for  my  feet,  but  it  was 
not  until  after  I  had  slept  an  hour  or  two — uneasily 
and  without  a  sense  of  repose — that  I  suddenly 
awoke  to  a  realization  of  the  precise  point  at  which 
I  had  seemingly  made  di.  faux  pas ^  and  was  to  be  so 
mercilessly  impaled  by  my  delighted  adversaries. 
Dressing  hurriedly,  I  hastened  to  the  court-house, 
and  deposited  under  the  desk  which  had  been  as- 
signed to  Mr.  Steele  the  materials  with  which  I 
proposed  to  baffle  my  over-confident  adversaries 
and  to  transform  ''the  trap"  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  me  into  a  "dead-fall "  for  them,  as  I  felt 
assured  of  my  ability  to  do. 

When  I  resumed  my  place  in  the  witness-stand 
I  found  the  room  tilled  with  an  audience  which 
had  especially  assembled  to  witness  and  enjoy  my 
immolation.  I  perceived,  also,  that  the  opposing 
doctors  were  present  in  full  force,  occupying  con- 
tiguous seats,  their  countenances  wreathed  with 
smiles  of  anticipated  triumph,  and  their  note- 
books spread  ostentatiously  before  them,  ready  to 
receive  the  record  of  my  humiliation  and  disgrace. 
The  attorney-general  was  in  the  finest  of  spirits, 


376  A  doctor's  experiences 

liis  gray  eyes  twinkling  with  fun,  his  rotund  figi 
ure  expanding  with  jollity,  and  his  every  expresj 
sion  taking  the  form  of  a  quirk  or  a  pleasantry. 
The  excited  crowd  seemed  in  humor  for  the  sport,1 
and  rewarded  his  points  and  bon  mots  with  nods  of 
approval  or  roars  of  laughter.  Indeed,  it  seemed 
a  veritable  "field  day"  for  my  enemies,  and  that, 
like  the  gladiator  of  other  days,  I  was  doomed  to 
be — 

Butchered  to  make  a  Roman  holiday. 

Mr.  Syester  soon  finished  with  his  playful  pre- 
lude, and  settled  down  to  the  serious  work  of  the 
occasion — the  springing  of  ''  the  trap  "  which  had 
been  prepared  for  my  destruction. 

It  was  somewhat  in  this  wise  that  the  plan  was 
developed  and  carried  to  its  conclusion  : 

Lawyer:  *^' Did  I  understand  you  on  yesterday 
to  say  that  Dr.  Stille,  of  Philadelphia,  is  a  recog- 
nized authority?" 

Doctor  :   ' '  Certainly. ' ' 

Lawyer  :  "Is  he  not  recognized  especially  as  an 
authority  in  regard  to  cerebro  spinal  meningitis?" 

Doctor:  "  He  has  written  an  able  work  on  that 
subject  and  is  recognized  as  an  authority  by  the 
profession." 

Lawyer:  "After  such  an  admission  what  would  you 
say  if  I  should  show  you  that  he  difiers  materially 
from  you  on  an  important  point  relating  to  that 
disease?" 

Doctor:  "I  should  be  greatly  surprised,  and  I 
should  be  disposed  to  consider  myself  mistaken." 

Lawyer:  "That's  an  honest  confession,  but  a 
fatal  one';  for  with  it  your  grand  lecture  of  yester- 
day and  all  its  magnificent  theories  and  confident 
conclusions  fall  to  the  ground,  a  mass  of  ruins — 
with    a   professor    and    an  expert  buried   beneath 


IN   THREE    CONTINENTS.  377 

them.  There  is  a  radical  difference  between  you 
and  Dr.  Stille  in  regard  to  one  of  the  most  essen- 
tial points  in  your  hypothesis  respecting  the  cause 
of  G-eneral  Ketchum's  death.  What  have  you  to 
say  for  yourself  in  view  of  such  a  contradiction?" 

Doctor:   ''I  have  simply  to  inquire  in  what  re- 
gard he  thus  contradicts  me." 

Lawyer  :  ''  Oh,  I  will  make  it  plain  enough.  I 
will  soon  show  you  the  grave  which  you  have  dug 
for  yourself.  Don't  be  the  least  apprehensive  on 
that  point."  Here  he  was  interrupted  by  such  a 
storm  of  applause  from  the  audience  that  he  could 
scarcely  proceed.  ''I  hold  in  my  hand,"  he  re- 
sumed, "  a  copy  of  Stille's  work  on  cerebro  spinal 
meningitis — the  disease  from  which  you  allege  that 
General  Ketchum  died .  On  page  —  he  states  emphat- 
ically that  this  disease  invariably  leaves  behind  cer- 
tain definite  lesions  in  the  brain  and  spinal  cord. 
No  such  lesions  were  found  in  the  brain  and  spinal 
cord  of  G-eneral  Ketchum,  and  in  order  to  recon- 
cile that  fact  with  your  theory,  you  stated  that  cere- 
bro spinal  meningitis  frequently  terminates  fatally 
tvithout  leaving  any  lesion  ivhatsoever.  There  is, 
therefore,  a  palpable  difference  between  Dr.  Stille 
and  yourself,  and  by  acknowledging  his  superior 
authority  you  admit  your  own  error,  and  you  and 
your  theory  fall  together — a  common  wreck.  Your 
evidence,  in  fact,  amounts  to  nothing,  and  you 
are  caught  and  crushed  in  ''^the  trap"  which  was 
set  for  you.  What  have  you  to  say  for  yourself? 
Where  do  you  stand  now,  Professor  Edward  War- 
ren?" 

It  certainly  looked  as  if  I  had  been  caught  and 
was  annihilated ;  and  it  was  in  vain  that  the 
judges  rapped  and  the  bailiffs  cried  ^'Silence,"  for 
the  audience,  transported  with  delight  at  my  ap- 
parent discomfiture,  gave  expression  to  its  satis- 


378  A  doctor's  experiences 

faction  in  the  most  enthusiastic  applause.  When 
order  was  restored — though  the  audience  continued 
to  scowl  at  me  as  if  I  were  the  murderer — I  an- 
swered in  this  wise : 

Doctor  :  '^1  have  only  this  to  say,  sir  :  1  stand 
just  where  I  stood  before.  '  The  trap  '  is  not  strong 
enough  for  the  quarry.  Turn  to  page  — ,  para- 
graph — ,  and  you  will  see  that  Stille  states  ex- 
23licit]y  that  there  are  tiuo  varieties  of  cerebro  spinal 
meningitis,  viz :  the  fidminant  and  the  inflammatory , 
and  that  he  proposes  to  discuss  only  the  latter  form 
of  the  disease.  I  stated  distinctly  on  yesterday 
that,  in  all  probability,  Ketchum  died  oi  fulmi- 
nant ceTobro  spinal  meningitis— that  variety  of  the 
disease  whicVi  does  frequently  terminate  fatally 
without  leaving  a  lesion  behind  it.  There  is  then 
no  difference  between  Dr.  Stille  and  myself,  and  I 
am  neither  '  caught '  nor  annihilated. 

'^  In  proof  of  the  truth  of  my  position  that  fulmi- 
nant cerebro  spinal  menirigitis  terminates  fatally 
without  leaving  a  discoverable  lesion  behind  it,  I 
will  thank  Mr.  Steele  to  open  the  trunk  beneath  his 
desk,  and  to  find  and  read  the  authorities  for  this 
statement  as  I  shall  indicate  them.^'  I  then  drew 
a  paper  from  my  pocket,  and  called  for  some 
twenty-five  authorities,  each  stating  in  the  most 
explicit  terms  that  the  fidminant  variety  of  cerebro 
spinal  meningitis  ''frequently  terminates  fatally 
without  leaving  an  appreciable  lesion  either  in  the 
brain  or  spinal  cord." 

"  The  trap  "  which  had  been  prepared  for  my 
destruction  was  thus  converted  into  a  ''  dead-fall  " 
for  my  adversaries,  and  my  triumph  was  made  com- 
plete while  their  defeat  was  correspondingly  ren- 
dered conspicuous. 

The  disappointed  crowd  retired  in  disgust ;  my 
baffled    opponents    folded    their    note-books    and 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  379 

oked  as  if  they  had  been  convicted  of  some 
ime  ;  the  lawyers  for  the  defense  beamed  with 
niles  of  delight  and  triumph,  and  in  the  sorrow- 
d  eyes  of  the  accused  there  gleamed  the  light  of 
ope  and  thankfulness. 

The  attorney-general  then  lost  his  temper,  and 
le  following  scenes  followed  each  other,  after  a 
iw  rambling  questions  : 

Lawyer  :  ''  Where  would  this  lead  to,  Dr.  War- 
en  ?  " — supposing  some  hypothetical  case. 

Doctor  :  "I  cannot  tell,  as  the  hypothesis  itself 
i  absurd." 

Lawyer  :  "  But  you  medical  men  ought  to  know 
11  about  these  medical  matters." 

Doctor:  "I  suppose  we  know  as  much  about 
hese  medical  matters  as  you  lawyers." 

Lawyer:  "  No,  sir  ;  you  doctors  have  the  ad- 
'antage  of  us.  You  bury  your  mistakes  six  feet 
mder  the  earth." 

Doctor  :  '^  Yes,  and  you  lawyers  hang  your  mis- 
akes  in  the  air,"  pointing  significantly  to  Mrs. 
Wharton. 

This  rejoinder  was  received  with  such  applause 
—despite  the  prejudice  of  the  audience — that  the 
iudges  were  compelled  to  adjourn  the  court  for 
some  moments  in  order  that  order  might  be  suffi- 
ciently restored  for  the  transaction  of  its  business. 
Upon  the  reassembling  of  the  court  the  cross-ex- 
amination was  resumed  somewhat  in  this  wise  : 

Lawyer  :  "  Dr.  Warren,  what  is  to  be  your  fee 
in  this  case?  " 

I  had  understood  that  this  insulting  question 
might  be  asked  if  all  other  means  failed  to  break 
me  down,  and,  though  almost  consumed  with  rage, 
I  restrained  my  feelings  and  answered  calmly. 

Doctor  :  "I  have  never  discussed  the  subject  of 
a  fee  with  any  one,  but  when  the  case  has  termi- 


380  A  doctor's  experiences 

natecl  it  is  my  purpose  to  demand  compensation  fc' 
my  services  as  an  expert,  inasmuch  as  the  exampl 
has  heen  set  me  in  that  regard  not  alone  by  som 
of  the  best  men  of  this   country   and  of  Europ( 
but  hy  a  medical  loitness  for  the  State." 

Lawyer  :  ^'  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  any  medics 
witness  for  the  State  proposes  to  charge  for  his  se] 
vices  as  an  expert  in  this  case?" 

Doctor:   ''I  do  mean  to  say  so  most  emphat 

cally." 

Lawyer  :   '^  Who  is  he — name  him." 

Doctor:  "  I  feel  some  reluctance  in  giving  h: 
name,  as  you  seem  to  regard  his  proposed  deman 
as  so  grave  an  ofPense.  Since  you  insist  upon  i1 
however,  I  have  to  say  that  it  is  the  principt 
medical  witness  for  the  State.  He  told  Dr.  Job 
Morris  on  yesterday  that  he  had  been  employed  b 
the  State  as  an  expert  with  the  promise  of  remui 
eration,  and  he  also  consulted  him  as  to  whethe 
he  should  demand  five  hundred  dollars  or  not." 

Had  a  bomb-shell  exploded  in  that  court-room 
could  not  have  produced  more  commotion,  and  tl 
attorney-general,  utterly  surprised  and  silenced  b 
this  most  unexpected  announcement — for  the  a 
rangement  had  been  made  by  one  of  his  subord 
iiates — permitted  me  to  retire  from  the  witne.' 
stand — not  annihilated  at  least  by  the  rencontV' 

In  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  history  I   mui 
add  that,  notwithstanding  the   ''card   of  vindics 
tion "   which  appeared   on   the   succeeding   day, 
bill  for  one  thousand  dollars  was  subsequently  pr( 
sented  on  this  account,  and  its  payment  vehement) 
insisted  upon.     It  is  true  that  the  State   resiste  ■ 
the  demand,  and  thus  rendered  this  effort  to  vind 
cate  the  claims  of  the  gallows  ''  a  labor  of  love 
after  all ;   but  the  fact  that  it  was  made  still  n 
mains,  a  testimonial   to   the    accuracy    of  the   ir 


IN   THREE  CONTINENTS.  381 

rmation  which  you  had   given   me,  and  another 
ustration  of  the  wisdom  of  the  adage  that  those 
bo  live  in  glass  houses  should   not  throw  stones, 
might  have  heen  ''  hlood  money  ''  which  was  so 
^rtinaciously  demanded,  hut  for  my  intervention, 
id   yet   it  was   fairly   earned   if  a   faithful    and 
•ayerful  effort  to  hang   a  woman   can   constitute 
I  e'^basis  of  an  obligation  upon  the  part  of  a  civil- 
led  state  to  Christian  gentlemen. 
It  has  been  said  that  I  received  a  large  reward 
r  thus  rescuing  Mrs.  Wharton  from  the  gallows, 
!it  such  is  not  the  fact  by  any  means.     But  for  the 
Itervention  of  Mr.  Thomas,  I  should  not  have  re- 
■ived  a  cent,  and,  as  it  was,  I  was  not  paid  for  my 
rvices  as  an  expert  a  sufficient  amount  to  cover 
j?cessary  expenses,  and  to  compensate  for  the  loss 
cident  to  an   absence   of  nearly  forty  days  from 
'y  business. 

'  So  soon  as  I  was  released  from  the  witness  stand, 
prepared  and  sent  to  the  attorney-general  a  note 
;sisting  on  a  public  apology  for  the  insulting 
lestion  which  he  had  propounded. 
But  there  lives  no  kinder  or  truer  man  than 
[.  K.  Syester,  and  before  my  note  could  be  de- 
Vered  he  handed  me  a  scrap  of  paper  upon  which 
ere  written  these  words : 

I  ''  If  I  can  do  anything  to  restore  the  good  feel- 
Ig  between  Dr.  Warren  and  myself,  which  I  my- 
If  improperly  interrupted — yet  not  wholly  with- 
it  provocation — I  will  be  commanded  by  him.  I 
igretted  my  course  the  moment  it  was  over. 

"A.  K.  Syester.'^ 

He  arose  and  said  :  ^^  May  it  please  your  honors. 
1  a  moment  of  excitement  I  asked  Dr.  Warren  a 
3ry  rude  and  improper  question — one  that  I  re- 


382  A  doctor's  experiences 

gretted  so  soon  as  tlie  words  were  uttered.  I, 
therefore,  take  this  occasion  to  express  laj  sincert 
regret  at  what  has  occurred,  and  to  say  publicly 
that  I  believe  his  testimony  to  have  been  as  candid 
and  honest  as  it  was  able  and  scientific." 

I  waited  for  him  at  the  door  of  the  court-house, 
gave  him  my  hand  most  cordially,  and  offered  hiu: 
a  challenge  which  I  never  knew  declined  in  Mary- 
land— to  join  me  in  ''  forty  drops  "  of  the  best  thai 
the  hotel  could  afford.  We  have  been  devoted 
friends  ever  since  and  such  we  shall  continue  tc 
the  end.  As  a  proof  of  the  kindliness  of  his  feel- 
ings for  me  I  beg  you  to  read  the  subjoined  copy  o 
a  letter  which  I  received  from  him  on  the  eve  o1 
my  departure  for  Egypt : 

State  of  Maryland, 
Office  of  the  Attorney-G-eneral, 

Haqerstown,  March  25,  1873. 
My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  cannot  describe  the  unfeigned  regret  I  expe- 
rienced in  your  loss  to  us  all,  especially  to  me  ;  foi 
although  I  have  not  seen  and  been  with  you  as  mucl 
as  I  desired,  I  always  looked  forward  with  pleasurt 
to  some  time  when  our  engagements  would  per 
mit  a  closer  acquaintance,  and  become  warmed  intc 
8.  firmer  and  more  fervid  friendship.  I  dare  nc 
indulge  the  hope  of  hearing  from  you  in  your  ne\\ 
position,  but  not  many  things  would  prove  mon 
agreeable  to  me.  Present  my  compliments  t( 
your  wife.  That  you  and  she  may  ever  be  con 
tented  and  happy  in  life,  and  that  you  may  be  a; 
prosperous  as  your  great  talents  and  unequalec 
acquirements  so  richly  deserve^  is  the  earnest  hop( 
of— 

Your  humble  but  undeviating  friend, 

A.  K.  Syester. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  383 

I  hope  some  day  to  see  him   governor    of  Mary- 
land, for  no  man  could   fill   the    office   with    more 
J  honor  or  greater  ability. 

I     As  an  indication  of  the  impression    which    my 
'evidence  produced  at  the  time,  not  only  in  Annapo- 
lis but  throughout  the  scientific  world,  I  refer  with 
pleasure  to  the  fact  that  I  was  approached  succes- 
[sively  by  the  judges,  jury  and   the  attorneys  for 
I  both  sides,  and  assured  by  them  that  I  had  saved 
iMrs.   Wharton's  life,   while   I  received   letters    of 
[congratulation  and  commendation  from  a   number 
jof  the  most  prominent  medical  men  of  America  and 
;  Europe.     Mrs.  Wharton  sent  for  me,  and,  while 
she  and  her  noble  daughter  overwhelmed  me  with 
expressions  of  gratitude,  she  charged  me  to  remem- 
ber as  a  consolation  in  after  life  that  I  had  ^'  served 
and  rescued  an  innocent  woman." 


384  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XXVI. 

THE  AYHARTOX  CASE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  :  i* 

As  I  have  often  remarked  to  you,  G-eneral  Ket- 
clium  surely  died  from  some  other  cause  than  anti- 
monial  poisoning,  as  the  ahlest  toxicologists  of  the 
world  unite  in  asserting,  and  if  the  accused  really 
poisoned  any  one,  she  was  insane  at  the  time  and 
oblivious  of  it  afterward. 

At  any  rate  I  acted  throughout  in  obedience  to 
the  dictates  of  my  conscience,  and,  though  I  have 
had  to  bear  much  of  obloquy  and  persecution  on 
account  of  my  connection  with  the  case,  I  have 
never  regretted  the  stand  which  I  made  for  what 
I  conceived  to  be  the  true  principles  of  science,  and 
the  defense  of  a  woman  who  w^as  without  friends 
and  in  great  tribulation. 

The  vilest  wretch  is  entitled  to  the  fairest  trial, 
and  when  appealed  to  "in  the  interest  of  truth  and 
justice"  I  determined  that  she  should  have  one, 
whether  guilty  or  innocent,  and  whatever  might 
be  the  consequence  to  myself. 

In  attempting  to  give  from  memory  a  history  of 
the  memorable  rencontre  between  the  attorney- 
general  and  myself,  I  pretend  to  no  accuracy  save 
as  regards  the  substance-matter  of  it — nearly  thir- 
teen years  having  elapsed  since  its  occurrence. 

If  I  have  done  him  the  slightest  injustice,  I 
would  repair  it  by  saying  that  an  abler  officer  and 
a  truer  gentleman  never  represented  the  dignity  of 
a  State  or  vindicated  the  majesty  of  the  law. 


IX    THREE   CONTINENTS.  385 

My  assertion  that  cerebro  spinal  meningitis  had 
existed  in  an  epidemic  form  in  Baltimore  was  vig- 
orously controverted. 

In  order  to  contradict  me  in  that  regard,  the 
attorney-general  introduced  a  number  of  repre- 
sentative practitioners  from  all  portions  of  the  city, 
each  of  whom  testified  that  the  disease  had  not  as- 
sumed an  epidemic  form  in  Baltimore,  and  that  my 
statement  was  unsustained  by  any  fact  within  his 
knowledge. 

The  attorneys  for  the  defense  completely  turrfed 
this  battery  upon  their  adversaries.  They  ex- 
tracted from  each  witness  the  admission  that  sev- 
eral cases  of  the  disease  had  occurred  in  his  prac- 
tice, and  then,  by  taking  the  aggregate  of  the 
whole  number  thus  reported,  showed  that  cerebro 
spinal  meningitis  had  prevailed  extensively  in  Bal- 
timore ;  that  there  had  been,  in  fact,  a  serious  and 
extreme  epidemic  of  it  contemporaneously  with 
General  Ketchum's  death. 

Among  these  so-called  "  representative  practi- 
tioners" there  was  one  who,  hj  the  specially  of- 
fensive manner  in  which  he  testified  to  the  non- 
-existence  of  the  epidemic,  invited  an  attack  from 
Mr.  Steele^  which  he  received  to  his  utter  humilia- 
tion, as  you  will  remember.  Standing  erect,  with 
a  copy  of  the  Baltimore  Journal  of  Medicine  in  his 
hand,  he    cross-examined   him   somewhat  in    this 


■J 
wise 


Lawyer  :    "  Do  you  reside  in  Baltimore?" 
Witness  :   "  I  do,  sir." 

Lawyer:    ''And  you  practice  medicine   there?" 
Witness  :   "  Yes,  sir." 

Lawyer:    "Are  you  acquainted  with    this  jour- 
nal?" 

Witness:    ''I  am  acquainted  with  it,  sir." 
Lawyer:    ''Who   is    the   author   of  the   article 


I'o 


I 


386  A  doctor's  experiences 

which    recently   appeared   in  it,  entitled  Cerebra 
Spinal  Meningitis  ?" 

Witness:   "  I  am  the  author,"  stammering  and 
trembling  as  if  he  had  been  caught  in    an   act    of 
theft  or  some  other  disreputable  proceeding. 

Lawyer:  "And  you  now  state  here  that 
there  '  has  been  no  epidemic  of  the  disease  in  Bal- 
timore,' when  only  a  short  time  since  you  deliber- 
ately wrote  a  paper  for  this  journal,  declaring  that 
^  an  epidemic  of  cerebro  spinal  meningitis  exists  at 
this  moment  in  Baltimore,'  and  relating  the  his- 
tory of  a  number  of  cases  which  were  treated  by 
you.     Which  statement  is  the  true  one  ?" 

From  the  discomfited  and  crestfallen  witness 
there  came  no  answer,  and,  with  great  beads  of 
perspiration  oozing  from  every  pore  of  his  hyper- 
trophied  epidermis,  he  slank  away  with  the  whine 
of  a  castigated  spaniel  upon  his  lips  and  the  ma- 
lignity of  a  baffled  viper  in  his  heart. 

Some  months  afterward,  when  the  intervention 
of  seven  thousand  miles  supplied  him  with  an  op- 
portunity to  strike  back  with  fancied  impunity,  he 
read  a  paper  before  one  of  the  medical  societies  of 
Baltimore,  in  which  he  charged  that  "  one  of  the- 
witnesses  for  the  defense  (meaning  myself)  had 
misrepresented  the  facts  of  the  case  to  Drs.  Taylor 
and  Stevenson,  of  London,  and  in  that  way  had 
obtained  from  them  opinions  favorable  to  his  view 
of  the  case."  The  paper  containing  this  infamous 
slander  was  immediately  sent  to  these  gentlemen, 
with  the  result  of  eliciting  from  them  the  follow- 
ing letters  in  reply  : 

15  St.  James'  Terrace, 
Regent's  Park,  June  27,  1874. 
Dr.  Warren-Bey,  Cairo. 

Dear  Sir:   Your  letter   dated  Cairo,   June    13^ 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  SST 

has  been  forwarded  to  me  by  Dr.  Stevenson.  In 
answer  to  your  interrogatories,  I  beg  leave  to  say 
that  I  received  a  copy  of  the  Baltimore  Gazette' s 
report  of  the  Wharton-Ketchum  trial.  It  was 
addressed  not  to  me  personally,  but  to  the  "  Pro- 
fessor of  Chemistry,  Guy's  Hospital."  As  I  had 
resigned  the  office,  the  report  fell  into  the  hands 
of  my  successor,  Dr.  Stevenson,  and  he  had  it  in 
his  possession  for  some  weeks,  when  he  handed  it 
to  me,  as  being  originally  intended  for  me. 

You  did  not  furnish  me  with  any  other  statement, 
report  or  document  relating  to  that  trial  or  any 
other  subject. 

You  did  not,  by  any  word,  hint  or  act,  comment 
on  the  evidence  given  at  that  trial,  or  in  any  way 
attempt  to  influence  or  bias  my  judgment  in  regard 
to  it. 

The  premises  for  my  decision  regarding  the  case 
of  General  Ketchum  were  derived  chiefly  from  the 
report  of  the  Baltimore  Gazette — sent  by  you,  as  I 
now  find. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  I  do  not  consider  that  the 
symptoms  have  any  resemblance  to  those  which  are 
observed  in  poisoning  with  antimony,  and  a  further 
examination  of  the  case  has  satisfied  me  that  this  is 
the  only  conclusion  to  which  the  medical  facts  lead. 
In  the  Guy's  Hospital  report  for  1857  I  collected 
and  reported  thirty-seven  cases  of  poisoning  with 
antimony.  Upon  the  facts  here  collected  and 
others  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge  since,  I 
believe  that  the  death  of  General  Ketchum  was  not 
caused  by  antimonial  poisoning. 

The  chemical  evidence  did  not  show  conclusively 
the  presence  of  antimony  in  articles  submitted  to 
analysis  for  evidence  at  the  trial.  There  was  a 
fatal  omission  in  those  who   attended  on   the  de- 


388  A  doctor's  experiences 

ceased  in  liis  last  illness  :  tlie  urine  was  not  ex- 
amined for  antimony  while  the  patient  was  living. 
The  only  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  this  omission 
is  that  those  who  were  in  attendance  on  the  Gen- 
eral did  not  suspect  that  his  was  a  case  of  antimonial 
poisoning  while  he  was  living  and  undergoing 
medical  treatment,  or  they  willfully  neglected  to 
adopt  the  best  mode  of  verifying  their  suspicions 
and  counteracting  the  effects  of  poison. 

As  before  this  occasion  I  have  never  received  any 
letter  from  you  or  corresponded  with  you  in  any  way, 
I  must  express  my  surprise  that  it  should  have  been 
imputed  to  you  that  you  have  in  any  way  attempted 
to  influence  my  judgment.  I  did  not  even  know 
that  you  had  sent  me  the  report  of  the  Baltimore 
Gazette^  until  Dr.  Stevenson  informed  me,  long 
after  its  arrival  in  England.  Yon  have  my  author- 
it}^  for  stating  as  publicly  as  you  please  that  such 
an  imputation  is  utterl}^  untrue,  and  if  made  by  a 
professional  man,  most  unjustifiable.  My  opinion- 
of  the  Ketch um  case  was  formed  apart  from  all 
local  influences  and  prejudices.  Having  now  had 
an  experience  of  forty-three  years  in  the  sub- 
jects of  poisoning,  and  an  opportunity  of  examining 
durino'  that  period  some  hundreds  of  cases,  I  feel 
myself  in  a  position  to  act  independently  of  all 
hints  and  suggestions.  To  extra-forensic  statements 
in  a  case  like  this  I  give  no  attention. 

I  presume  the  telegram  which  you  quote  in  your 
letter  refers  to  me.  You  are  at  liberty  to  state  in 
reply  that  no  experts  for  prosecution  or  defense 
made  any  application  to  me  in  reference  to  this 
trial,  or  furnished  me  with  any  premises  or  infor- 
mation respecting  it.  The  whole  story  is  a  false- 
hood from  beginning  to  end.  I  see  that  Dr.  Eeese 
has  been  implicated  in  the  matter.     I  do  not  know 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  389 

him  except  by  name.     I  never  wrote  to  him,  or  re- 
ceived any  letter  from  him,  respecting  this  trial. 
I  am,  yours,  very  truly, 

Alfred  S.  Taylor. 


21  Caversham  Road,  N.  W., 

London,  July  3,  1874. 

To  his  Excellency,  Warren-Bey,  Cairo,  Egypt. 

My'  Dear  Sir  :  I  forwarded  your  letter  to  my 
colleague,  Dr.  Alfred  Swaine  Taylor,  F.  B.  S., 
and  he  has  handed  me  the  letter  which  I  now  for- 
ward to  you.  I  have  read  it  at  his  request,  and  I 
can  speak  with  knowledge  as  to  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Warton- 
Ketchum  case.  In  May,  1872, 1  received  by  post  at 
Gay's  Hospital  a  pamphlet,  being  a  reprint  from 
the  Baltimore  Gazette^  of  the  report  of  the  trial.  I 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  case  before,  and  was 
ignorant  in  regard,  to  the  sending  of  the  report  un- 
til I  came  to  your  evidence,  when  I  found  your 
name  underlined,  with  the  simple  word  '^compli- 
ments" added  in  pencil.  When  I  had  read  the 
report  I  handed  it  to  my  predecessor  in  the  chemical 
chair,  Dr.  Taylor. 

My  own  opinion  of  the  case,  from  reading  the  re- 
port, was  this  :  That  the  chemical  evidence  broke 
down  and  did  not  prove  that  "twenty  grains  of 
tartar  emetic  "  were  administered  to  General  Ketch- 
um  ;  and  that  the  symptoms  were  not  character- 
istic of  any  antimonial  poisoning,  and  might  have 
been  produced  by  natural  causes.  Both  Dr.  Tay- 
lor and  I  think  that  you  may  fairly  disregard  all 
attacks  upon  your  character,  as  every  one  is  liable 


390  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  them.     As  for  furnishing  ^' false  data,"  I  know 
that  all  you  furnished  was  the  Gazette's  report. 
Very  truly  yours,  etc., 

Thomas  Stevenson, 
Professor  of  Chemistry , 
Guy's  Hospital,  Lo7ido7i. 

In  concluding  this  subject,  it  is  only  just  to  say 
that  Dr.  Taylor  in  subsequent  editions  of  his  works 
on  ^'Poisons"  and  on  "Medical  Jurisprudence," 
which  are  the  recognized  authorities  of  the  civilized 
world,  has  reviewed  the  Wharton  case,  emphatically 
reaffirming  the  opinions  expressed  in  his  letter. 

But  if  I  was  victorious  at  Annapolis  I  had  to  pay 
dearly  for  it  in  Baltimore.  So  great  was  the  preju- 
dice against  Mrs.  Wharton  that  the  public  turned 
upon  me  as  if  I  had  committed  the  crime ;  I  was  sub- 
jected to  indignities  of  every  description  ;  my  family 
was  reviled  upon  the  public  streets  ;  nearly  all  of 
my  patrons  deserted  me,  and  I  became  as  impecu- 
nious as  in  the  days  succeeding  the  surrender  ;  I 
was  subjected  to  a  social  ostracism  that  rendered 
life  a  burden  to  me  and  to  those  connected  with  me. 
The  most  absurd  stories  were  circulated  respecting 
the  amount  and  the  manner  of  my  compensation 
as  an  expert ;  and  although  I  never  saw  G-eneral 
Ketchum  or  heard  of  Mrs.  Wharton  until  the  death 
of  the  one  and  the  imprisonment  of  the  other,  the 
suspicion  gained  credence  that  I  was  in  some  way 
implicated  in  the  supposed  crime. 

My  bank  account  was  pried  into  ;  my  every  act 
and  word  was  criticised  and  misrepresented  ;  and  I 
was  shadowed  perpetually  by  spies  and  detectives. 
I  had  been  recommended  for  the  office  of  coroner 
by  a  large  number  of  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  Maryland,  but  my  supporters  withdrew  their 
indorsement  and  a  pliant  legislature  relieved  the 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  391 

governor  of  his  embarrassment  in  regard  to  my 
promised  appointment  by  changing  the  law  creat- 
ing the  office.  In  a  word,  every  humiliation  and 
outrage  that  insane  prejudice  and  disappointed 
malignity  could  devise  was  heaped  upon  me,  and 
all  because,  in  testifying  according  to  my  conscien- 
tious convictions,  I  had  baffled  those  who  so  per- 
sistently sought  the  condemnation  of  a  friendless 
woman. 

In  the  midst  of  these  persecutions  I  attended  a 
meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association  in 
Philadelphia,  and  had  an  experience  there  which 
atoned  in  a  great  measure  for  the  outrages  to  which 
I  had  been  subjected  in  Baltimore.  I  was  over- 
whelmed with  civilities  and  attentions.  Represen- 
tative men  from  all  sections  sought  me  out  to 
express  their  personal  sympathy,  and  their  profes- 
sional concurrence  in  the  position  which  I  had 
taken  in  the  case.  They  assured  me  that  I  was 
sustained  by  the  profession  of  the  country,  and 
that  I  had  made  a  reputation  that  would  survive 
the  prejudices  of  the  hour  and  the  machinations  of 
those  who  were  seeking  my  destruction.  But  they 
went  further  than  mere  expressions  of  regard  and 
congratulation.  I  was  made  chairman  of  the  sec- 
tion of  surgery  and  anatomy  for  the  ensuing  year^  a 
position  second  only  in  honor  to  that  of  the  presi- 
dency of  the  association.  I  should  have  been 
pleased  at  any  time  to  receive  so  distinguished  a 
compliment,  but,  coming  as  it  did  at  that  critical 
period  in  my  history — when  my  heart  was  chafing 
under  a  sense  of  unmerited  censure  and  unprovoked 
outrage — it  soothed  and  inspired  me  to  a  degree 
that  language  is  inadequate  to  portray.  Only 
those  who  have  walked  through  tbe  fiery  furnace 
of  persecution  with  a  consciousness  of  rectitude 
appealing  perpetually  against  the  injustice  of  their 


392  A  doctor's  experiences 

lot,  can  appreciate  the  happiness  which  pervaded 
my  bosom  in  view  of  this  conspicuous  mark  of  sym- 
pathy and  confidence — this  vindication  of  my  honor 
and  loyalty  at  the  hands  of  the  profession  of  the 
country.  I  felt  that  I  had  been  tried  and  acquitted 
by  my  peers,  and  thenceforward  I  cared  no  more  for 
the  insane  rabble  and  the  reviling  schools  than  for 
the  hissing  geese  upon  the  common  or  the  yelping 
curs  in  the  streets.  Sustained  by  the  approval  of 
my  own  conscience^,  and  the  indorsement  of  the 
great  body  of  my  confreres^  I  walked  the  streets  of 
Baltimore  with  as  erect  a  head  and  as  proud  a  heart 
as  any  other  honest  man  within  its  limits,  leaving 
my  vindication  to  Him  who  is  the  illustration  of 
truth  and  the  embodiment  of  justice.  At  that 
meeting  1  presented  to  the  surgical  section  of  the 
association  a  new  splint  for  fractures  of  the  clav- 
icle, which  attracted  much  attention,  and  is  really 
an  apparatus  of  great  utility.  While  it  keeps  the 
shoulder  upon  its  normal  plane  and  retains  the 
fragments  in  accurate  apposition,  it  pernlits  all  the 
movements  of  the  forearm  without  subjecting  the 
patient  to  inconvenience.  It  has  been  tried  in  a 
number  of  cases  with  absolute  success. 

And  though,  perhaps,  something  of  the  old  pre- 
judice may  have  been  perpetuated  by  the  breath  of 
professional  jealousy,  I  lived  to  see  the  day  when 
I  could  count  among  my  personal  friends  many  of 
the  best  people  of  the  city,  and  could  boast  of  as 
large  a  class  of  students  and  as  long  a  list  of  pa- 
tients as  the  most  popular  of  its  professors  and 
physicians. 

Amid  all  the  trials  and  difficulties  of  that  pain- 
ful period,  when  "  clouds  were  dark  and  friends 
were  few,"  you  stood  by  me  with  the  unfaltering 
faith  and  the  fond  affection  of  a  brother.  Circum- 
stances have  never  permitted  me  to  show  the  depth 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  393 

of  the  gratitude  which  your  devotion  inspired,  but 
I  have  taught  my  children  to  honor  you  as  the  best 
of  men,  and  to  love  you  as  their  father's  especial 
friend  and  benefactor.  She  whose  untimely  loss  has 
filled  my  bosom  with  an  eternal  sorrow  had  selected 
your  name  for  her  unborn  babe,  and  it  has  thus 
become  doubly  sacred  to  me  by  its  association  with 
her  who  is  dearest  to  my  soul,  and  with  you  who 
have  served  me  with  the  greatest  fidelity.  We 
may  never  meet  again,  but  while  consciousness  and 
identity  remain  I  shall  never  cease  to  remember 
yoar  kindness  in  the  day  of  adversity  or  to  pray 
that  heaven  may  reward  your  loyalty  and  devotion 
to  me  and  mine. 

I  cannot  dwell  on  the  great  calamity  which  finally 
blighted  my  life  in  Baltimore,  and  compelled  me 
to  seek  in  other  scenes  a  surcease  from  the  sorrow 
which  so  oppressed  and  paralyzed  me  there.  • 

Fourteen  years  have  passed  since  we  stood  to- 
gether at  the  grave  of  my  darling  boy,  but  the 
wound  of  that  sad  bereavement  has  never  healed, 
and  will  be  felt  until  my  heart  has  ceased  to  pul- 
sate. 

After  three  years  spent  in  a  vain  and  painful 
struggle  to  command  myself  sufficiently  for  the 
proper  performance  of  my  professional  duties,  I 
followed  your  advice  and  determined  to  remove  to 
some  other  locality,  hoping  to  break  the  spell  of 
sorrow  by  shifting  the  scene  of  my  life  and  labors. 


394  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 


LETTER  XXVII. 

SEEKING  A  NEW  FIELD. 

My  Dear  Doctor: 

I  first  sought  a  professorship  in  the  University 
of  Kew  York,  thinking  that  a  residence  in  that 
city  might  serve  to  distract  my  thoughts  and  give 
a  zeal  to  my  existence.  With  that  end  in  view, 
I  presented  to  the  dean  of  the  University  of  New- 
York  letters  of  recommendation  from  a  numher  of 
leading  men  both  in  and  out  of  the  profession,  two  of 
which  I  reproduce  because  of  the  eminence  of  their 
authors  and  of  the  specially  emphatic  terms  in 
which  they  indorsed  me  : 

Philadelphia,  May  8,  1872. 
My  Dear  Doctor  Warren: 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  say  anything  respecting 
one  who  is  so  well  known  throughout  the  country 
as  a  gentleman,  practitioner  and  a  teacher  of  medi- 
cine. Any  medical  school  I  am  sure  ought  to  be 
proud  to  give  you  a  place  in  its  faculty.  As  a 
teacher  of  surgery — off-hand,  read}^  and  even  bril- 
liant— there  is  no  one  in  the  country  that  surpasses 
you.  As  an  operator  and  a  general  practitioner, 
your  ability  has  long  been  everywhere  recognized. 
Your  success  as  a  popular  lecturer  has  been  re- 
markably great.  As  a  journalist  you  have  wielded 
a  ready  and  graceful  pen.  Some  of  your  opera- 
tions reflect  great  credit  upon  your  judgment   and 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  395 

skill.     Of  your  moral  character  I  have  never  heard 
anything  but  what  was  good  and  honorable. 

I  hope  with  all  my  heart  you  may  obtain  a  posi- 
tion in  one  of  the  New  York  schools.  Your  great 
popularity  in  the  Southern  States  could  not  fail  to 
be  of  service  in  drawing  Southern  students.  My 
only  regret  is  that  we  have  no  place  to  offer  you  in 
Philadelphia. 

Wishing  you  every  possible  success,  I  am,  dear 
doctor,  very  truly  your  friend, 

S.  D.   Gross, 
Professor  of  Surgery^ 
Jefferson  Medical  School. 
Professor  Edward  Warren,  Baltimore,  Md. 


University  of  Virginia,  May  18,  1872. 
To  the  Faculty  of  the  University  Medical  Col- 
lege OF  New  York. 

Gentlemen  :  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  rec- 
ommend to  your  favorable  consideration  Dr.  Ed- 
ward Warren. 

I  have  known  Dr.  Warren  from  his  boyhood, 
and  can  testify  to  his  excellent  character,  fine  tal- 
ents, indomitable  perseverance  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge  and  the  discharge  of  professional  duties. 

Dr.  Warren's  attainments  are  of  a  high  order 
in  genuine  scholarship.  He  made  unusual  profi- 
ciency in  moral  philosophy,  and  graduated  also 
with  distinction  in  other  schools  in  the  University 
of  Virginia. 

Of  his  professional  attainments  I  am  not  compe- 
tent to  judge,  but  I  know  that  he  has  been  success- 
ful when  competition  was  intense,  and  I  learn  from 
others,  competent  to  judge,  that  he  has  every  quali- 
fication to  insure  success  in  the  chair  of  surgery, 


396  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  place  which  I  learn  he   seeks  in   your  institii-j 
tion. 

Very  respectfully,  etc., 

W.    H.    MCGUFFY, 
Professor  Moral  Philosophy  University  of  Va. 

Few  things  have  given  me  more  pleasure  than 
these  kind  and  complimentary  letters,  and  I  shall 
ever  guard  them  among  my  treasures. 

Having  failed  in  this  effort  because  no  vacancy 
existed  in  the  school,  and  still  appreciating  the  ne- 
cessity for  a  change  of  surroundings,  I  sought  and 
secured  a  position  under  the  Khedive  of  Egypt.       '[ 

After  the  Ameiican  war,  with  a  view  of  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  military  skill  and  experience 
Avhich  it  had  developed,  his  highness  took  meas- 
ures to  secure  the  services  of  a  number  of  officers 
from  both  armies,  as  he  was  then  filled  with  the 
idea  of  separating  Egypt  from  the  dominion  of 
Turkey. 

Happening  one  day  to  look  from  my  window  I 
saw  Colonel  Walter  Jenifer — an  old  friend  who  ] 
some  time  before  had  entered  the  Egyptian  army 
— walking  up  Charles  street,  looking  magnificently  j 
in  a  semi-military  costume.  Hurrying  after  him 
he  gave  me  a  cordial  greeting,  and  returned  with 
me  to  my  office  to  talk  over  his  experience  in  ^^the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs." 

He  gave  me  such  a  glowing  account  of  the  coun- 
try, and  of  the  manner  in  which  the  American  officers 
had  been  treated  there,  that  I  became  immediately 
imbued  with  the  desire  to  follow  his  example  and 
enter  the  service  of  the  Khedive.  I  promptly  took 
measures  to  obtain  from  my  friends  generally  let- 
ters of  recommendation  to  the  American  officers 
then   in   authority  at  Cairo,   and  forwarded   them 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  397 

together  with  a  formal  application  for  a  position  in 
the  medical  stafp  of  the  Egyptian  army. 

Some  weeks  afterward  I  received  a  letter  from 
the  war  office,  offering  me  the  position  of  chief  sur- 
geon of  the  general  staff  of  the  army,  with  the 
rank  and  pay  of  lieutenant-colonel  and  transporta- 
tion to  and  from  Cairo.  I  was  also  referred  to  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  who  had  heen  authorized  by  the 
Khedive  to  select  such  officers  as  were  required 
and  to  arrange  for  their  transportation, 

I  visited  General  Sherman  at  once  and  was  re- 
ceived very  cordially,  as  he  had  not  forgotten  our 
relations  during  the  war.  I  told  him  very  candidly 
that  although  desirous  of  going  to  Egypt  I  could 
not  do  so  unless  I  was  made  a  full  colonel,  and 
was  given  permission  to  practice  my  profession  in 
Cairo.  He  agreed  to  telegraph  to  that  effect  and 
to  communicate  the  result  so  soon  as  he  had  re- 
ceived an  answer. 

Some  days  afterward  he  sent  me  a  telegram  from 
the  Egyptian  authorities  accepting  my  terms,  and 
a  formal  appointment  from  himself,  embracing  the 
conditions  to  which  I  have  referred.  I  thus  sud- 
denly found  myself  committed  to  the  service  under 
the  Khedive  ;*  and  when  the  reality  of  a  residence 
in  so  distant  a  land  and  a  radical  chan2;e  in  all  mv 
plans  of  life  was  actually  brought  before  me,  I  must 
confess  that  it  seemed  a  far  more  serious  step  than  I 
had  originally  conceived  of,  and  one  that  I  greatly 
hesitated  to  take.  In  midst  of  my  perplexity  I 
had  the  curious  dream  to  which  I  have  already  re- 
ferred, and  but  for  it  I  should  never  have  had  the 
courage  to  make  the  venture. 

Do  you  remember  the  dinner  which  you  and 
other  friends  gave  me  at  Barnum's  just  previous  to 


See  Appendix  (A). 


C5 


398  A  doctor's  experiences 

my  departure?  I  have  never  forgotten  it,  and  its 
menu  hangs  framed  to-day  in  my  office,  a  connect- 
ing link  between  the  past  and  the  present,  and  a 
souvenir  of  a  most  delightful  occasion.  How  many 
times,  when  surfeited  with  the  cuisine  of  foreign' 
lands,  have  I  refreshed  my  palate  by  contemplatin_ 
its  tempting  spread  of  terrapins,  oysters,  canvas- 
back  ducks,  etc.  Each  guest  of  that  delightful 
evening  is  associated  with  the  choicest  delicacies  of 
Barnum's,  and  that  alone  is  sufficient  to  embalm 
him  forever  in  my  memory.  What  a  charming 
event  it  proved  to  me  !  For  it  was  a  gathering  of 
my  friends,  of  those  who  believed  in  me,  and  who 
had  stood  bravely  by  me  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of 
my  life  in  Baltimore.  And  the  old  Maderia  which 
Mr.  Dorsey  produced  to  drink  a  parting  toast  to 
my  "health  and  happiness" — its  bouquet  has 
lingered  in  my  nostrils  and  its  flavor  upon  my  lips 
ever  since.  But  friendship — true  and  tried — was 
the  sauce  that  flavored  the  courses  that  night,  and 
gave  them  a  relish  beyond  the  dream  of  the  chef  a^t 
Yoisin's  or  Vefour's. 

I  stopped  on  the  Jersey  side  so  as  to  take  the 
Cunarder  which  then  started  from  that  locality, j 
and  while  dressing  on  the  morning  of  my  depart-j 
ure  there  was  a  rap  at  my  door,  and  in  walked 
William — the  colored  boy  who  had  served  me  so- 
long  and  so  faithfully  in  Baltimore. 

"  What  on  earth  has  brought  you  here,  Will- 
iam?" was  my  surprised  exclamation.  '; 

''  Well,  Doctor,  you  see  you  are  used  to  me  and; 
to  my  ways,-- and  I  am  going  along  with  you,"  h.& 
answered. 

"  What,  going  with  me  to  Egypt?"  I  exclaimed. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  am  a-gwine  to  Egypt  with  you. 
You  see  I  told  Mrs.  Warren  I  wanted  to  go  and^. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  399 

she  sent  me.     I  am  a-gwine  to  take  care  of  you," 
lie  replied. 

And  he  went  with  me,  and  he  is  with  me  still, 
the  most  loyal,  devoted  and  humble  of  servants, 
although  he  speaks  three  or  four  languages,  and 
has  been  petted  by  everybody  on  this  side  of  the 
water. 

His  father  was  a  freed  man,  and  at  one  time  pos- 
sessed a  considerable  estate,  including  several  ne- 
groes. Being  naturally  over-confiding  and  rather 
thriftless,  his  brother  soon  managed  to  get  liim 
into  debt  and  to  obtain  possession  of  his  property  ; 
and  when  I  knew  him  he  was  glad  to  obtain 
work  in  the  college  with  which  I  was  con- 
nected. One  night  he  tried  his  hand  as  a  resur- 
rectionist, with  the  result  of  an  arrest  and  an 
imprisonment  for  three  months,  notwithstanding 
our  urgent  efforts  to  secure  his  release.  Quite  an 
amusing  incident  occurred  in  this  connection  which 
illustrates  the  power  of  avarice  over  the  human 
soul,  even  though  it  be  that  of  a  doctor.  The  bail 
for  our  captured  resurrectionist  was  fixed  at  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  it  became  necessary  to  find 
two  sureties — both  property-owners — each  to  be- 
come responsible  for  one-half  of  that  sum.  Only 
two  members  of  the  faculty  possessed  ^'real  estate" 
in  Baltimore,  and  it  was  agreed  to  request  them 
to  sign  the  bond,  and  for  the  rest  to  subscribe  to  a 
paper  securing  them  from  all  loss.  The  most  in- 
timate friend  of  one  of  the  property-owners  was 
delegated  to  visit  him  for  the  purpose  of  explain- 
ing and  arranging  the  matter.  He  went  to  the 
house  of  our  rich  confrere,  and  after  telling  him  of 
Hughes'  arrest,  and  of  the  certainty  that  the  poor 
fellow  would  have  to  remain  three  months  in  jail 
unless  bail  could  be  found,  etc.,  requested  him  to 


400  A  doctor's  experiences 

become  one  of  the  sureties   on  the  terms  already 
explained. 

"  What,  become  securit}^  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "impossible  !  I  would 
not  sign  for  that  sum  to  take  you  out  of  jail." 

And  yet  he  w^as  worth  a  square  million,  and 
the  party  addressed  was  his  dearest  friend.  Our 
ambassador  departed  precipitately,  and  poor  Hughes 
remained  in  prison  for  the  full  term  of  three  montlis. 
Finding  him  honest  and"  reliable  I  took  one  of  his 
sons,  who  was  then  about  fifteen  years  of  age-  into 
my  service  ;  and  he  has  been  with  me  ever  since, 
embracing  a  period  of  some  sixteen  years.  Possess-  I 
ing  a  kindly  disposition,  and  being  naturally  fond  of 
children,  he  soon  became  a  great  favorite  with  my 
family  and  has  remained  so  up  to  the  present  mo- 
ment. He  has  proved  invaluable  to  me  in  connec- 
tion with  my  professional  work,  having  learned  to 
assist  in  operations,  to  dress  wounds,  to  extract 
teeth,  to  give  hypodermic  injections,  and  to  do  a 
variety  of  things  which  a  physician  ^in  full  prac- 
tice requires  to  have  done  for  him.  But  it  is  es- 
pecially as  a  gar  con  de  reception  that  he  excels.  He 
can  distinguish  "who  is  who"  at  a  glance  ;  he 
knows  how  to  commiserate  wdth  a  patient  on  his 
first  visit,  and  to  find  improvement  in  his  visage  at 
each  succeeding  one  ;  he  understands  how  much 
time  a  case  requires  for  its  consideration,  and  when 
to  interrupt  a  long-winded  client ;  he  can  enter- 
tain and  divert  an  impatient  visitor  to  perfection  ; 
he  can  be  the  most  polite  of  servants,  the  tenderest 
of  nurses,  and  the  sharpest  of  collectors,  as  the  cir- 
cumstances demand  ;  and,  in  a  word,  there  does 
not  live  a  man  wdio  plays  his  appointed  role  in 
life  w^ith  greater  tact  and  judgment  than  my 
faithful  ofiice  boy,  William  Hughes.  Though  a 
negro,  and  only  with  such  an  education   as  he  has 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  401 

^'  picked  up  "  in  my  house,  lie  has  the  manners  and 
the  appearance  of  a  gentleman — and  he  is  one,  if 
fidelity  to  duty,  incorruptible  honesty,  scrupulous 
neatn^s  of  person  and  the  kindest  of  hearts  entitle 
a  man  to  be  so  regarded.  His  devotion  to  me, 
regard  for  my  feelings,  respect  for  my  opinions, 
interest  in  my  business,  and  desire  to  promote  my 
comfort  and  happiness  are  something  j^henomenal ; 
and,  I  can  say  with  truth,  that  he  has  been  the 
most  patient,  loyal  and  consistent  friend  that  I 
have  had  in  life. 

On  two  occasions  he  concluded  to  leave  my  ser- 
vice, but  signally  failed  in  each  attempt.  In  one 
instance,  his  health  becoming  bad,  he  concluded  to 
try  the  efficacy  of  a  change  of  air,  and  took  the  posi- 
tion of  chief  steward  on  a  river  steamer.  He  had 
only  made  a  few  trips,  however,  when  he  chanced 
to  find  a  terrapin  crawling  on  the  shore,  and  cap- 
turing it,  he  brought  it  in  triumph  to  Baltimore, 
and  hurried  to  my  house  to  present  it  to  my  little 
boy — never  giving  a  thought  to  his  steamer  again. 

Again,  having  fallen  desperately  in  love,  he  fol- 
lowed the  object  of  his  affections  to  New  York, 
where  he  took  service  as  a  waiter  in  a  boarding- 
house.  A  short  time  after  his  departure  I  had  oc- 
casion to  write  to  him  in  order  to  ascertain  where 
he  had  left  a  set  of  harness  for  repair,  and  a  day 
or  two  afterward  I  was  surprised  when  I  opened 
my  eyes  in  the  morning  to  see  William  moving 
stealthily  about  the  room,  engaged  in  arranging 
my  clothes  as  usual.  ^'  Halloa,  William,"  I  cried 
cut ;  "  what  are  you  doing  in  Baltimore?"  "Oh, 
sir  ! "  he  answ^ered,  "  I  come  on  to  find  them  har- 
ness you  wrote  about,"  and  he  went  on  with  his 
w^ork  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  and  New  York 
had  no  existence. 

I  learned  subsequently  that  when  the  servants 
26 


402 


A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 


questioned  him  in  regard  to  his  return,  he  said  : 
"  Well,  folks,  New  York  is  the  nicest  sort  of  a 
place,  and  the  people  were  mighty  friendl}^  to  me, 
but  I  felt  so  lonesome  without  the  doctor  and  the 
children  that  I  could  not  stand  it  and  I  just  packed 
up  and  come  home  again.'" 

He  is  one  of  the  few  "  Democratic  "darkeys  that 
I  have  ever  met  with — not  through  any  influence 
that  I  have  exerted  upon  him,  but,  apparently,  be- 
cause the  war  rather  diminished  the  dignity  of 
his  family  by  so  largely  augmenting  the  number  of 
freedmen. 

A  grand  functionary  of  the  United  States  once 
came  up  to  him,  and  patting  him  on  the  shoulder, 
said:  "  Ah,  William,  we  Republicans  are  your 
friends,  and  you  ought  to  love  us  dearly.  We  set 
you  all  free."  ''Not  at  all,  sir,"  said  he  ;  -''you 
Republicans  did  nothing  for  me,  you  only  set  my 
darkeys  free" — a  remark  which  surprised  and 
silenced  the  politician,  as  you  can  well  imagine. 

He  is  naturally  of  a  peaceable  disposition,  but 
he  can  brook  no  insult  to  me,  and  he  has  had 
several  difficulties  on  that  account. 

On  one  occasion  the  guard  on  duty  at  the  prin- 
cipal gate  of  the  Cairo  Citadel*  failed  to  salute  me 
as  we  drove  through  it  en  route  to  my  office.  In  a 
moment  William  called  to  the  syce — the  avant 
courier,  who,  in  Eastern  lands,  runs  before  the  car- 
riage of  every  personage  to  clear  the  way,  and  an- 
nounce his  master's  title,  etc. — ordered  him  to 
stand  before  the  horses,  and  proceeded  to  give  the 
offending  soldier,  armed  as  he  was,  a  sound  thrash- 
ins:   with  his  whip.     In   the    midst   of  the   melee 


Ratib    Pasha,   the   commander-in-chief,   rode 
and   threatened   AVilliam   with   his  sword,  at 


up, 
the 


*See  Appendix  (B). 


IN   THREE  CONTINENTS.  403 

same  time  abusing  him  most  savagely.  To  my 
horror,  William  turned  upon  him,  and  asserting 
his  American  citizenship,  declared  that  he  should 
he  treated  to  a  similar  punishment  if  he  dared 
again  to  open  his  lips.  The  Pasha  gazed  at  him 
for  a  moment  with  speechless  amazement,  and  then, 
true  to  the  instincts  of  his  pusillanimous  nature, 
put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  dashed  off  as  if  the 
devil  was  after  him.  The  scene  was  ludicrous 
beyond  expression,  but  it  was  only  after  several 
anxious  nights  that  I  slept  soundly  again,  because 
of  the  constant  expectation  of  an  order  sending  me 
to  Central  Africa  or  dismissing  me  from  the  ser- 
vice, as  I  well  knew  the  vindictive  character  of 
the  man  with  whom  I  had  to  deal.  For  some  in- 
comprehensible reason  the  order  did  not  arrive,  but 
in  place  of  it  there  came,  a  few  days  afterward,  an 
invitation  to  a  feast,  which  the  generalissimo  had 
given  in  honor  of  his  marriage.  Ratib  is  the  in- 
dividual who  subsequently  figured  so  ingloriously 
in  the  Abyssinian  campaign,  causing  by  his  ob- 
stinacy and  cowardice — according  to  General  Lor- 
ing — the  destruction  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
Egyptian  army,  and  having  been  found  in  the 
midst  of  the  attack  upon  the  fort,  in  which  the 
fugitives  from  the  ill-fated  field  had  taken  refuge, 
concealed  beneath  a  pile  of  Arab  bread,  so  para- 
lyzed by  fear  and  disfigured  with  dust  as  scarcely 
to  be  recognizable. 

From  William's  dark  complexion,  and  the  at- 
tention which  he  paid  to  his  dress,  the  natives  for 
a  long  time  took  him  to  be  a  eunuch,  and  treated 
him  with  all  the  deference  which  they  habitually 
accord  to  those  dilapidated  but  still  puissant 
specimens  of  humanity. 

By  his  own  imprudence,  however,  he  lost  his 
prestige  in  that  regard,  and  came  near  losing  his 
life  as  well. 


404         '        A  doctor's  experiences 

Prompted  by  his  inherent  love  of  display  and  a 
-desire  to  outshine  the  English  coachman  kept  by 
liis  highness  for  grand  cerem\3nies,  he  arrayed 
himself  on  one  occasion  in  full  livery,  including  a 
^lat*- — which,  with  its  variegated  cockade  and  its 
glossy  sheen^.  was  to  his  mind  the  perfection  of  ele- 
gance— and  then  drove  up  the  Mouski,  the  princi- 
pal street  of  the  native  quarter.  Instead  of  receiv- 
ing the  ovation  which  he  expected^  he  soon  found 
himself  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  infuriated  Mus- 
sulmans who,  with  cries  of  ''down  with  the  trait- 
or," ''death  to  the  renegade,"  ''crucify  the  apos- 
tate," struck  at  him  with  clubs  and  swords,  pelted 
him  with  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands 
upon,  and  attempted  to  drag  him  from  his  seat  in 
order  to  inflict  summary  punishment  upon  him  for 
halving  abandoned  his  religion  and  proclaimed  his 
recantation  by  wearing  a  hat  in  the  public  streets. 
The  timely  arrival  of  a  squad  of  foreign  policemen 
alone  saved  his  life,  and  even  then  he  had  diffi- 
culty in  escaping  from  the  fanatical  rabble  and  in 
returning  to  my  house. 

Though  frightened  nearly  out  of  his  wits,  his 
mind  had  been  unable  to  conceive  a  motive  for  the 
hostile  demonstration,  and  he  came  rushing  into 
my  office,  still  arrayed  in  his  liveried  splendor,  to 
give  me  a  history  of  his  adventure,  and  to  ask  the 
meaning  of  the  attack  upon  him. 

"  My  God,  Doctor,  they  tried  to  kill  me!  They 
kept  pointing  at  my  nice  new  hat  and  crying, 
^nooser  ani'  and  ^ ebniu  el  kelj^,'  all  the  time. 
Oan't  an  American  wear  a  hat  in  this  country  as 
well  as  a  Britisher?  'Fore  Grod,  they  never  saw  a 
finer  one.     What  does  it  all  mean^  anyhow?" 

"  Why,  William,   it   is    as   plain   as  daylight. 


*Bee  Aj^iDendix  (C). 


IN   THREE  CONTINENTS.  405 

From  the  color  of  your  ski  a  they  have  alvvays 
taken  you  for  a  Mohammedan,  and  a  eunuch  at 
that,  and  seeing  that  you  had  abandoned  your 
tarhouclie  and  put  on  a  hat,  they  thought  you  had 
changed  your  religion  and  become  a  Christian/' 

"Is  that  it?  What  a  set  of  cussed  fools  !  Ketcb 
me  wearing  a  hat  again  while  I  am  in  Egypt  ;  but 
that  is  a  nice  hat,  Doctor." 

''I'll  make  that  all  right,  old  fellow.  Yo« 
bought  it  on  my  account  and  I  will  pay  for  it;  but 
the  thing  that  grieves  me  most  is  that  they  will 
never  take  you  for  a  eunuch  again,  and  you  will  not 
be  regarded  as  so  much  of  a  great  man  hereafter.'' 

For  many  a  day  afterward,  as  we  drove  over  the 
scene  of  the  conflict,  William's  countenance  wore 
an  uneasy  expression,  and  I  observed  many  a  look 
of  hatred  leveled  after  us,  but  no  further  violence- 
was  attempted,  and  save  in  the  loss  of  his  pres-tige; 
my  faithful  servant  suffered  no  detriment. 

In  explanation  of  the  indignation  excited  by 
William's  unfortunate  hat,  I  must  say  that  the 
tarhouclie  or  the  turban  is  de  rigueur  with  all  true- 
followers  of  the  Prophet,  while  every  other  cover- 
ing for  the  head  is  regarded  as  a  token  of  unbelief 
or  of  apostasy.  Hence  it  was  that  every  foreign 
officer  in  the  Khedive's  service  was  required  to 
wear  a  fez  or  tarhouclie,  in  order  to  avoid  remark 
and  discussion  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance  that  a  covering  for 
the  head  which  affords  no  protection  to  the  eyes^ 
either  against  the  rays  of  the  sun  or  the  glare  and 
dust  of  the  desert, ^should  be  adopted  by  a  country 
in  which  ophthalmia  is  the  prevailing  disease. 

During  the  summer  months  that  affection  is  al- 
most universal  among  children  under  ten  years  of 
age,  and  the  proportion  of  blind  or  partially  blind 
men  is  about  one  in  twenty  of  the  population. 


406  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

Tliougli  produced  originally  by  the  combined  ef- 
fects of  the  sun's  rays,  dust  and  vicissitudes  of 
temperature,  ophthalmia  is  a  contagious  disease — ■ 
i.  e.,  is  reproducible  by  actual  contact — and  most 
frequently  by  the  agency  of  the  flies  which  swarm 
in  that  country.  Believing  them  to  have  been 
sent  by  Allah,  (?)  the  natives  respect  them  accord- 
ingly, and  consider  it  sinful  to  brush  them  away  or 
in  any  manner  to  interfere  with  them. 

It  is  a  common  thing  to  see  the  faces  of  the  cViil- 
dren  covered  with  them — blackened  and  disfigured 
by  their  presence — and  while  Egyptian  mothers  show 
all  the  instincts  of  maternity  in  other  regards,  noth- 
ing can  induce  them  to  raise  their  hands  against 
these  insects.  Flies  thus  become  agents  for  the 
transportation  of  the  virus  of  ophthalmia  and  the 
principal  instruments  of  its  propagation. 

As  a  matter  of  pure  humanity  I  opened  a  dis- 
pensary for  the  treatment  of  ophthalmia  among  the 
soldiers  and  their  families,  and  though  hundreds 
presented  themselves  daily,  I  could  accomplish  but 
little  toward  their  relief,  for  the  reason  that  my  in- 
junctions in  this  regard  were  invariably  disregarded. 
They  were  willing  to  take  any  amount  of  medicine, 
and  to  submit  to  whatever  I  proposed  in  the  way 
of  applications  or  of  operations,  but  they  perferred 
to  suffer  pain  or  to  incur  the  risk  of  blindness  rather 
than  insult  the  Lord  by  interfering  with  His  agents 
and  ministers — the  flies   which  infest  the  country. 

Whether  I  should  have  succeeded  ultimately  in 
eradicating  this  superstitious  prejudice,  I  can  not 
say,  for  after  an  experience  of  two  weeks  in  the 
Dowhadish,  and  in  spite  of  every  possible  precau- 
tion to  guard  against  contagion,  I  was  attacked 
with  ophthalmia,  and  I  am  to-day  a  sufi'erer  from  its 
consequences.  William  assisted,  me  in  this  work-, 
and  though  he  laughed  incredulously  when  enjoined 


IX   THREE   COXTINENTS.  40T 

to  caution  in  dealing  with  my  patients,  lie  too  fell  a 
victim  a  short  time  afterward.  The  negro  has  no 
fortitude  of  character,  and  he  becomes  immediately 
demoralized  when  called  upon  to  suffer  either 
physically  or  mentally.  Having  just  passed 
through  the  same  ordeal,  I  appreciated  fully  his 
meaning  when  he  spoke  of  the  ""hot  iron  which  was 
boring  through  his  eye  and  burning  his  brain,''" 
and  yet  there  was  a  ludicrousness  about  his  pro- 
ceedings which  elicited  a  smile  as  I  symjDathized 
with  his  sufferings  and  sought  to  minister  to  their 
relief. 

Though  the  thermometer  was  above  100°,  he 
wrapped  a  woolen  comforter  about  his  head,  en- 
veloped his  body  with  blankets,  and  alternately 
shrieked,  sang  camp-meeting  hymns,  prayed  de- 
voutly, and  called  for  his  "mammy"  by  day  and 
night  for  nearly  two  entire  weeks.  Indeed,  he 
aroused  the  whole  neighborhood,  and  frightened 
the  contiguous  Arabs  and  Levantines  almost  out  of 
their  lives,  while  my  own  family  was  kept  in  a 
state  of  mortal  terror  during  the  entire  period  of  his 
illness.  I  was  compelled  to  give  him  morphia  hy- 
podermically  and  m  large  quantities  to  render  life 
tolerable  to  him,  and  to  keep  him  from  expiring 
from  pain  and  fright. 

On  several  occasions  during  his  residence  in 
Paris  he  has  experienced  the  same  agony  from  a 
return  of  the  disease  and  has  gone  through  similar 
performances — though  fortunately  not  on  so  gigan- 
tic a  scale — to  the  wonder  of  my  neighbors  and  the 
consternation  of  my  household. 

Is  it  not  a  strange  circumstance  that  a  man  of 
good  sense,  of  an  abundance  of  physical  courage, 
and  of  considerable  pride  of  character  should  be- 
come thus  demoralized  and  irresponsible  under  the 
influence  of  pain,  and  at   the   bare   possibility  of 


408  A  doctor's  experiences 

death  ?  And  yet  he  is  but  the  type  of  his  race  io 
this  regard — he  is  a  negro  au  fond  notwithstand- 
ing his  many  admirable  qualities,  his  long  associa- 
tion with  white  men,  and  his  varied  experiences  of 
the  world.  I  mention  this  in  no  disparagement  of 
my  good  friend  and  faithful  servant,  but  simply  as 
a  practical  demonstration  of  the  difficulty  of  eradi- 
cating the  peculiarities  by  w^hich  the  different  races- 
are  distinguished  from  one  another. 

I  have  been  struck  very  forcibly  with  the  facility 
with  which  William  has  picked  up  the  languages 
of  the  various  countries  in  w^hich  he  has  lived.  He 
is  a  man  of  but  limited  education,  and  yet  he  had 
not  lived  three  months  in  Cairo  before  he  had  ac- 
quired enough  of  the  Arab  tongue — a  most  difficult 
one  to  learn  by  any  process — to  understand  what 
was  said  to  him,  and  to  make  his  wants  known  ; 
and  he  finally  mastered  it  sufficiently  to  be  taken 
for  a  native  by  the  people  of  the  country.  We  all 
devoted  ourselves  to  the  study  of  Arabic,  but  with 
the  exception  of  my  eldest  daughter,  who  speaks  it 
with  great  fluency,  we  never  got  to  the  point  of 
framing  sentences  or  of  maintaining  a  connected 
conversation  ;  while  this  comparatively  uneducated 
man,  trusting  to  his  ear  alone,  soon  learned  ta 
speak  it  as  glibly  as  if  he  had  been  born  and  raised 
in  the  country.  Of  course,  my  younger  children 
learned  it  from  their  nurses,  and  it  was  to  them 
virtually  a  mother  tongue. 

With  the  exception  of  Colonel  Chaille  Long,  the- 
distinguished  Central  African  explorer,  I  do  not 
know  an  American  officer  who  learned  to  speak 
Arabic  with  any  approach  to  fluency.  General 
Loring,  the  scholar  of  the  commission,  studied  it 
with  great  zeal  and  diligence,  but  he  was  compelled 
to  rely  upon  an  interpreter  to  the  last,  although  he 


IN    THREE*  CONTINENTS.  409 

made  himself  a  master  of  its  grammar  and  diction- 
ary. 

I  have  not  seen  Colonel  Mason  for  several  years, 
but,  as  he  has  lived  for  a  long  time  where  Arabic 
is  exclusively  spoken,  and  is  a  man  of  superior 
mind  and  education,  I  suppose  that  he  speaks  it 
like  a  native. 

William  also  acquired  French  readily,  and, 
though  for  a  long  time  his  grammar  was  rather 
mixed,  and  his  pronunciation  decidedly  Ethiopian, 
he  has  become  tout  a  fait  Francaise,  and  gets  along 
as  well  as  any  man  in  the  colony.  Certainly  there 
is  not  a  shrug  or  a  grimace  with  which  he  is  un- 
familiar, and  he  amply  makes  up  by  his  proficiency 
in  this  respect  for  any  deficiency  in  words  and 
idioms. 

The  longer  a  man  resides  in  a  country  the  less  pro- 
ficient does  he  really  find  himself  in  its  language,  or, 
in  other  words,  the  more  he  knows  the  more  does  he 
find  that  there  is  to  know.  It  is  only  the  ^'newcomer" 
with  the  barest  smattering  of  French,  who  will 
tell  3^ou  that  he  "  speaks  like  a  Frenchman,"  be- 
lieving that  the  ability  to  parade  a  few  set  phrases 
and  to  make  his  wants  known  comprises  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  language. 

The  French  themselves  are  mainly  responsible 
for  this  egotistical  delusion .  "llais,  Monsieur,  vous 
parlez  bien,  parfaitement  Men,"  is  the  staple  compli- 
ment with  which  a  ^' fresh  arrival"  is  greeted  on 
all  sides  from  the  first  moment  that  he  sets  foot  in 
the  country.  The  bait  is  swallowed  eagerly,  as  a 
general  rule,  as  many  a  hotel  director^  shop-keeper 
and  professional  quack  finds  by  counting  his  gains 
when  ''the  innocent"  has  departed — to  mourn  after- 
ward over  the  depleted  pockets  which  his  profi- 
ciency as  a  linguist  has  cost  him. 

I  was  greatly  amused  recently  by  a  conversation 


410  A  doctor's  experiences 

between  a  friend  o^  mine  and  a  shop-keeper  of  the 
Rue  de  la  Paix.  Notwithstanding  that  he  has 
lived  in  the  countrj^  for  many  years  and  prides 
himself  on  the  knowledge  of  the  language,  his 
French  is  simply  an  incomprehensible  jargon.  Hav- 
ing been  absent  from  Paris  for  some  time  he  saun- 
tered into  a  shop  on  his  return  and  renewed  his 
acquaintance  with  its  proprietor  over  a  pair  of 
gloves  that  he  desired  to  purchase.  After  address- 
ing several  remarks  to  the  merchant  in  what  he 
coDceived  to  be  French,  he  essayed  to  extract  a 
compliment  from  him  in  regard  to  the  fluency  with 
which  he  spoke  the  language.  The  Frenchman 
pretended  not  to  see  the  point.  He  praised  his 
gloves  ;  he  talked  about  the  weather  ;  he  inquired 
after  my  friend's  health  ;  he  told  a  piquant  little 
anecdote  apropos  to  nothing,  but  he  avoided  the 
expected  compliment  altogether.  '^  3Iais,  3Iushur, 
vou  non  coyaprond.  Je  hai  j^cirl  de  mon  Francaise. 
Je  pari  per fet,  maintnoio,  n' est  pas  V 

^'Oui,  Monsieur^  vous  parlez — vous  pjo/i'^lez — vous 
2oarlez — mieux'' — the  ^^bieii"  which  he  essayed  to 
utter,  and  my  friend  so  confidently  expected  to 
hear',  being  too  much  for  his  conscience,  seared  and 
hardened  as  it  was  by  twenty  years  of  dealing  with 
foreigners  in  the  Hue  de  la  Paix.  My  friend's  in- 
dignation knew  no  bounds,  for  he  saw  the  French- 
man's difficulty,  and,  turning  to  me^  he  said : 
'^  This  man  is  a  natural-born  fool.  He  does  not 
appreciate  his  own  language  when  it  is  properly 
spoken.  I  shall  trade  at  some  other  shop  here- 
after," and  he  left  the  place  in  hopeless  disgust. 

I  am  sure  the  Frenchman  will  never  hesitate  be- 
tween mieux  and  Men  again,  for,  realizing  that  his 
conscientiousness  has  cost  him  a  client,  he  will  be 
as  polite  as  the  rest  of  his  countrymen  for  the  future, 
you  may  depend  upon  it. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  411 


LETTER  XXVIII. 

UXDER  THE  KHEDIVE. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  sailed  from  New  York  on  the  2d  day  of  April, 
1873.  on  the  steamer  "Abyssinia,"  of  the  Cunard 
line,  in  company  with  Greneral  R.  E.  Colston,  who 
had  also  accepted  a  position  in  the  Egyptian  Army, 
and  whose  subsequent  services  were  well  appreciated 
and  rewarded  by  the  Khedive. 

Our  departure  was  not  an  auspicious  one,  as  the 
papers  of  that  morning  contained  the  first  intelli- 
gence of  the  loss  of  the  steamer  "  Atlantic  ;"  and 
the  last  sound  that  we  heard  from  the  shore  was 
the  cry  of  the  news-boys  announcing  "  A  terrible 
shipwreck !  "  "  The  loss  of  several  hundred  lives, ' ' 
etc. 

As  in  nearly  every  instance  of  disaster  at  sea,  the 
cause  can  be  traced  to  criminal  negligence,  the  best 
time  for  sailing  is  just  after  such  a  calamity,  as  the 
officers  are  thus  stimulated  to  unusual  care  in  the 
navigation  of  the  ship  and  in  everything  relating 
to  their  duties. 

It  is  far  from  agreeable,  nevertheless,  to  have 
one's  ears  saluted,  at  the  last  moment,  by  the  tid- 
ings of  so  dreadful  an  accident,  and  for  several 
days  its  effect  could  be  seen  in  the  pallid  counte- 
nances and  serious  mien  of  all  on  board. 

As  the  weather  was  fine,  the  ship  staunch,  and 
the  officers  unusually  attentive  to  their  duties,  the 
gloom  among  the  passengers  gradually  disappeared. 


412  A  doctor's  experiences 

and  we  had  a  remarkably  cheerful  and  pleasant 
passage. 

Having  failed  to  make  the  tide  at  the  bar  of  the 
Mersey,  we  were  transported  thence  to  Liverpool  in 
a  small  tug.  and  as  a  result.  I  contracted  a  severe 
cold,  which  confined  me  to  bed  for  several  days 
after  my  arrival  at  the  Northwestern  Hotel. 

Few  things  in  life  are  more  disagreeable  than 
to  be  sick  in  a  hotel.  Such  establishments  are 
made  for  well  people — for  those  who  are  in  a  con- 
dition to  spend  money  freely  and  to  give  the  mini- 
mum of  trouble. 

Sickness  is  resented  as  a  gratuitous  insult,  and 
an  invalid  usually  receives  about  as  much  con- 
sideration as  he  might  expect  in  the  hut  of  a  Hot- 
tentot. But  for  William's  assiduous  attentions  I 
should  have  fared  badly  indeed,  for  circumlocution 
was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  everything  that  I 
required  and  asked  for  was  ••  against  the  rules  of 
the  house." 

~  However,  under  the  judicious  use  of  remedies,  the 
threatening  pneumonia  was  transformed  into  a 
mild  bronchitis,  and  I  was  soon  able  to  bid  adieu 
to  the  Northwestern,  and  to  journey  on  to  London. 

After  William  had  watched  at  my  bedside  for  a 
day  or  two,  I  insisted  that  he  should  go  out  and 
see  the  city.  He  was  absent  for  several  hours,  and 
returned  with  his  mind  filled  with  the  astounding 
fact  that  ''  everybody  spoke  American  as  well  as  he 
did,"  and  the  circumstance  that  he  had  encountered 
a  band  of  neo:ro  minstrels,  who  had  offered  him  a 
large  salary  to  join  them  and  to  go  "  starring  " — '| 
as  he  expressed  it — all  over  Europe.  More  than 
half  of  the  company,  it  seemed,  were  white  men,^ 
and  they  desired  the  addition  of  more  genuine 
African  blood  in  order  to  make  their  enterprise 
success.     He  refuted  their  proposition  at  once,  but^ 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  413 

tliey  became  so  importuDate  that  he  was  really  fear- 
ful lest  they  might  waylay  and  kicluap  him,  nolens ^ 
volens.  I  quieted  his  fears  as  best  I  could,  but 
warned  him  at  the  same  time  "to  keep  his  eyes 
open,"  for  I  felt  some  apprehension  on  the  subject 
myself. 

William  did  not  venture  in  the  streets  again,  but 
he  several  times  pointed  out  his  importunate 
friends,  as  they  hung  about  the  hotel  hoping  to 
have  another  talk  with  him.  As  he  is  a  good-look- 
ing darkey,  possesses  a  fine  voice,  and  has  a  de- 
cidedly musical  turn,  he  would  have  proved  an 
invaluable  addition  to  their  troupe — would  have 
literally  coined  money  for  them.  I  learned  after- 
ward that  they  visited  all  the  European  capitals, 
producing  a  sensation  everywhere,  and  returning 
home  with  heavier  pockets  than  they  had  started 
out  with. 

In  London  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  that 
splendid  gentleman  and  great  surgeon,  Sir  James 
Paget,  to  whom  I  carried  letters  of  introduction 
from  Professors  Gross  and  Pancoast,  of  Philadel- 
phia. He  invited  me  to  his  house,  introduced 
me  to  his  family,  and  gave  me  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Fowler,  the  English  engineer,  then  employed  by 
the  Khedive  in  perfecting  the  great  works  of  in- 
ternal improvement  to  which  he  had  devoted  him- 
self. Sir  James  has  risen  by  the  force  of  his  genius 
and  character  to  the  most  commanding  professional 
position  in  England  ;  and  he  is,  at  the  same  time, 
the  very  type  of  a  finished  gentleman. 

Since  my  residence  in  Paris  I  have  renewed  my 
acquaintance  with  him,  and  I  am  proud  to  be  able 
to  number  him  among  the  truest  friends  I  have  made 
upon  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  His  election  to  the 
presidency  of  the  International  Congress  of  1881 — 
to  which  I  had  the  honor  of  beins:  a  deleo^ate — is 


414 


A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 


an  evidence  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held 
by  the  medical  profession  of  the  world,  and  the 
able  and  eloquent  address  which  he  delivered  on 
that  occasion  fully  justified  the  wisdom  of  his 
selection  for  so  distinguished  a  position. 

In  manner  and  appearance  he  reminds  me  of 
the  late  Wm.  B.  Rogers,  the  distinguished  Ameri- 
can scientist,  for  they  were  cast  in  the  same  heroic 
mold,  and  inherited  equally  the  attributes  of  genius. 

I  had  always  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  a 
second  visit  to  Paris,  but  I  found  everything  about 
it  so  changed  by  the  hand  of  vandalism  that  the 
impression  produced  upon  my  mind  was  only  a 
]3ainful  one.  I  had  known  the  city  in  its  days  of 
imperial  splendor — when  it  was  incomparably  gay, 
and  grand,  and  glorious,  and  I  found  it  draped  in 
mourning,  torn  by  internal  dissensions,  and  marred 
by  unsightly  ruins.  Between  the  Paris  of  '73  and 
that  of  '55  there  was  as  great  a  difference  as  between 
a  funeral  dirge  and  a  wedding  march — a  dilapi- 
dated brick  and  a  diamond  of  the  first  water. 
Everything  seemed  radically  and  hopelessly 
changed,  and  I  left  it  with  a  feeling  of  relief — a 
veritable  surcease  from  regret  and  disappointment 

As  a  matter  of  economy,  we  traveled  from  Paris 
to  Brindisi  as  second-class  passengers,  which  neces- 
sitated a  halt  at  every  station,  as  well  as  innu- 
merable changes  of  trains.  As  we  spoke  scarcely! 
a  Avord  of  Italian,  and  no  one  seemed  to  understand 
either  English  or  French,  it  has  always  been  a 
mystery  how  we  escaped  starvation  and  reached  ouri 
destination.  Bread  and  wine  were  the  only  arti- 
cles in  the  way  of  sustenance  that  our  knowledge 
of  Italian  permitted  us  to  ask  for,  and  we  only 
avoided  being  carried  in  wrong  directions  by  cry- 
ing out,  -'Brindisi!  Brindisi!  Brindisi!"  at  the 
top  of  our  voices,  whenever   the  train  came  to  a 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  415 

halt.  William's  black  skin  collected  a  crowd  at 
every  station,  and  our  frantic  efforts  to  keep  in  the 
direct  route  created  a  sensation  from  the  Alps  to 
the  Adriatic.  The  only  wonder  is  that  we 
were  not  arrested  as  lunatics,  for  I  am  sure  we 
were  taken  for  such  at  every  station  throughout 
the  entire  route. 

After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  four  days  over  a  wave- 
less  sea  and  beneath  cloudless  skies,  we  entered  the 
harbor  of  Alexandria,*  where  we  found  General 
and  Colonel  Reynolds — old  Confederates  and  dear 
friends — waiting  to  welcome  us,  and  bearing  a 
message  from  Greneral  Loring  "to  come  directly  to 
Gabara." 

After  passing  through  the  custom-house  we  took 
a  carriage,  and  drove,  first  through  the  city,  and 
tliPM  about  a  mile  into  the  country,  to  the  General's 
residence. 

He  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome,  and  bade  us  make 
ourselves  at  home  in  Gabara.  This  palace  had  been 
one  of  the  favorite  summer  homes  of  Said  Pashajf 
the  former  Khedive  of  Egypt,  and  I  can  well  under- 
stand his  partiality  for  it.  It  is  built  in  the  East- 
ern style,  only  one  story  in  height,  with  a  rectangu- 
lar central  building,  and  a  wing  on  either  side — 
one  for  the  selamlik  and  the  other  for  the  hareem. 
Its  interior  is  gorgeous  with  mirrors,  marble  floors, 
panels  of  porphyry,  mosaics,  divans,  carpets,  and 
all  that  can  be  conceived  of  oriental  luxury  ;  while  a 
large  veranda  occupies  its  entire  front,  and  a  spa- 
cious garden  lies  behind  it,  filled  with  murmuring 
fountains,  luscious  fruit  and  fragrant  flowers. 

The  approach  to  it  is  through  a  spacious  avenue 
skirted  with  mimosas,  which  unite  in  a  canopy 
above,  and  embower  it   in  perpetual  shade  ;    and 


See  Appendix  (D).  fSee  Appendix  (Ej. 


416  A   DOCTORS   EXPERIENCES 

spreading  around  it  in  every  direction  are  large 
fields  devoted  to  tile  cultivation  of  the  date,  the 
orange,  the  fig,  and  the  almond.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  of  a  lovelier  spot,  and  one  is  reminded 
at  every  turn  of  the  stories  of  the  Arabian  Nights, 
and  feels  as  if  he  were  really  in  fairy  land. 

This  palace  had  been  assigned  to  Greneral  Loring 
as  his  quarters  when  he  was  placed  in  command  of 
Alexandria,  and  he  lived  there  in  princely  elegance, 
with  the  two  Reynolds — his  aides-de-camp — and 
their  families. 

We  received  a  cordial  welcome,  but  found  it  difii- 
cult  to  sleep  on  accoant  of  the  excitement  incident 
to  our  arrival,  and  the  strange  emotions  inspired 
b}^  the  novelty  of  the  situation  and  the  magnifi- 
cence of  the  objects  around  us. 

We  took  the  train  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  succeed- 
in  cr  mornino;,  and  reached  Cairo  "^  in  six  hours  and 
a  half,  the  journey  having  proved  an  exceedingly 
interesting  one,  because  of  the  strange  sights  and 
interesting  associations  which  presented  themselves 
on  every  side. 

We  reached  Cairo  in  the  midst  of  what  is  known 
as  a  ^^  kJiampseen,"  a  wind  which  blows  from  the 
south,  and  brings  with  it  the  dust  and  the  heat 
of  the  desert.  There  is  no  spring-time  in  Egypt, 
but,  from  the  1st  of  April  until  about  the  20th  of 
May,  a  period  of  fifty  days,  this  wind  prevails, 
giving  one  a  foretaste  of  the  infernal.  Khampse  is 
the  Arabic  word  for  fifty,  and  the  wind  which  blows 
from  the  desert  during  this  period  of  fifty  days  is 
called  the  ^^khampseen."  After  this  most  disa- 
greeable season  the  direction  of  the  wind  changes, 
€oming  from  the  north,  especially  after  sunset,  and 
rendering  the  nights  cool  and  refreshing. 


■^See  Appendix  (F). 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  417 

During  tliese  storms  the  natives  retire  to  their 
houses  and  carefully  close  their  doors  and  win- 
dows, so  as  to  keep  out  the  dust  and  heat,  and, 
when  compelled  to  breast  them,  they  cover  their 
heads  and  faces  wit li  blankets,  just  as  the  inhabi- 
tants of  colder  regions  do  to  protect  themselves 
against  the  blasts  of  Boreas. 

As  I  before  informed  you,  a  storm  of  this  kind 
prevailed  when  we  reached  Cairo.  The  air  was 
loaded  with  dense  clouds  of  dust  ;  a  wind  was 
blowing  from  the  desert  which  felt  like  the  breath 
of  a  furnace  ;  and,  from  the  debilitating  influences 
of  an  atmosphere  alike  deficient  in  oxygen,  filled 
with  impalpable  particles  of  sand,  and  heated  above 
the  blood-range,  a  feeling  of  nervous  prostration 
was  produced  which  seemed  scarcely  supportable. 
I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  translated  to  the  lower  re- 
gions, and  bitterly  regretted  ever  having  thought 
of  Egypt. 

Seeking,  however,  the  shelter  of  the  New  Hotel, 
I  retired  to  my  room,  threw  off  my  clothes,  called 
for  a  plentiful  supply  of  artificial  ice  and  palm-leaf 
fans,  and  made  myself  as  comfortable  as  circum- 
stances would  allow  until  the  storm  had  spent  itself. 

This  wind  is  not  the  '^simoon,''  as  some  sup- 
pose. The  ''''khampseen''  usually  prevails  for  about 
three  .days,  brings  with  it  a  temperature  of  95°, 
and  is  laden  with  the  impalpable  dust  of  the  des- 
ert, while  the  "simoon"  usually  blows  for  about 
twenty  minutes  only,  raises  the  thermometer  to 
100°,  and  is  attended  by  clouds  composed  princi- 
pally of  sand. 

The  climate  of  Egypt  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  is  remarkably  salubrious  and  healthy. 
The  general  height  of  the  thermometer  in  the  win- 
ter is  from  50°  to  60° — in  the  afternoons — in  the 
shade.  I  never  saw  but  one  rain  at  Cairo,  and, 
27 


418  A  doctor's  experiences 

though  it  was  only  a  passing  shower,  the  natives 
regarded  it  as  a  deluge.  Consumption  is  a  com- 
mon disease  among  the  blacks  from  the  interior 
of  Africa,  the  climate  being  so  much  colder  than 
that  in  which  they  have  been  reared. 

Everything  about  Egypt  is  so  peculiar  that  a. 
stranger  feels  on  his  first  arrival  as  if  he  had  lost 
his  identity,  and  had  been  wafted  to  another  sphere. 
Its  ideas  and  customs  are  generally  directly  antip- 
odal of  those  of  other  lands  in  all  regards. 

The  people  of  Egypt  are  ultra  religious,*  as  they 
understand  the  matter.  They  have  absolute  faith 
alike  in  the  existence  of  a  God,  and  in  His  direct 
intervention  in  the  affairs  of  life.  They  do  every- 
thinsf,  in  fact,  in  the  name  of  Allah,  and  follow 
with  blind  obedience  the  teachings  of  Mohamet  as 
recorded  in  the  Koran. 

Although  the  heaven  of  the  Koran  is  peopled 
with  Houris — seventy-two  of  whom  minister  to 
each  one  of  the  elect,  w^omen  are  virtually  ex- 
cluded from  the  religion  of  el  golam.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  spending  their  lives  in  prayer  and 
pilgrimage^  they  occupy  themselves  with  paying 
visits,  painting  their  persons,  drinking  coffee,  eat- 
ing sweetmeats,  rehearsing  the  tales  of  the  Ara- 
bian Nights,  talking  scandal,  and  planning  in- 
trigues of  every  possible  description. 

In  some  rare  instances  they  affect  religious 
fervor,  and  devote  themselves  to  a  great  parade  of 
self-sacrifice,  prayer-making  and  almsgiving,  but 
always  with  the  conviction  that  their  chances  of 
the  "better  land"  are  doubtful  at  best,  and  that 
their  only  hope  is  in  the  direct  intervention  of  the 
Prophet. 

Of  course,  I  refer  to  the  Arabs  proper,  for  the 
Copts, t  who  compose  a  considerable  portion  of  the. 


^See  Apxjendix  (G).  tSee  Appendix  (H). 


$. 


^ 


IX   THREE  CONTINENTS.  419 

populatioiij  are  Christians,  although  in  other  re- 
spects no  differences  are  discoverable  between 
them  and  their  neighbors.  It  is  a  remarkable 
circumstance  that  these  two  classes,  Arabs  and 
Copts,  should  have  lived  so  long  together,  with  the 
same  laws  and  similar  habitudes,  without  having 
amalgamated,  and  yet  they  remain  as  distinctly 
separated  as  the  Jews  and  the  Christians  of  other 
lands. 

A  missionary  establishment  has  existed  in  Cairo 
for  a  number  of  years,  under  the  direction  of  men 
of  ability  and  great  religious  zeal,  and  yet  I  have 
never  heard  of  the  conversion  of  but  one  Moham- 
medan to  the  Christian  faith,  and  that  was  effected 
by  other  influence  than  theirs.  The  ministrations 
of  the  missionaries  have,  however,  prospered 
among  the  Copts,  for,  though  professedly  believers 
in  the  divinity  of  Christ,  their  religion  had  be- 
come only  another  name  for  idolatry  and  super- 
stition, and  they  greatly  needed  the  teaching  and 
the  example  of  such  men  as  Drs.  Lansing  and 
Watson. 

The  convert  to  whom  I  refer  is  a -young  man  by 
the  name  of  Achmed  Fahmy,  who  for  a  long  time 
was  attached  to  me  as  an  official  interpreter.  He 
soon  established  friendly  relations  with  my  house- 
hold, and  as  he  was  a  devout  Mussulman,  he  set 
himself  diligently  to  work  to  convert  William .  The 
latter  was  a  staunch  Methodist  at  the  time,  and 
the  arguments  between  the  two  were  as  intermin- 
able as  they  were  animated  and  amusing.  One 
day  I  overheard  William  say  to  him  :  ^'Now, 
Achmed,  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question,  and  you 
must  answer  it  truly.  What  do  you  think  will 
become  of  the  Doctor  when  he  is  dead  and  gone?" 

"  Why,  it  is  as  plain  as  daylight.  He  is  an  un- 
believer, and   the   Prophet  says,  '  All  who  refuse 


420  A  doctok's  experiexces 

to  believe  in  me,  and  to  follow  me,  sliall  be  pun- 
ished eternally.'  I  am  sorry  for  the  Doctor,  for  he 
has  been  like  a  father  to  me,  but  the  devil  will 
surely  get  him.  That's  why  I  am  praying  for 
him  all  the  time,"  was  his  answer. 

"  Well,  just  see  here,  Achmed,"  exclaimed  Will- 
iam, '•  if  you  are  such  a  tarnation  fool  as  to  believe 
such  devilish  doctrines  as  those,  I  am  done  with  you. 
I've  got  no  faith  in  you,  and  your  blasted  religion, 
neither."  But  they  continued  friends,  neverthe- 
less, and  went  on  with  their  arguments  up  to  the 
day  of  my  departure.  My  wife,  who  was  also  very 
fond  of  the  young  fellow,  occasionally  put  in  a 
word,  and  loaned  him  some  books  to  read,  in- 
cluding a  copy  of  the  New  Testament.  But  he 
gave  no  sign  of  yielding,  and  we  left  Egypt  be- 
lieving that  our  labor  had  been  lost,  and  that  he 
would  die,  as  he  had  lived,  a  devoted  follower  of 
the  Prophet. 

Some  five  or  six  years  afterward  one  of  my 
friends  was  about  to  visit  Egypt,  and  I  gave  him  a 
note  to  Achmed,  knowing  him  to  be  an  honest 
fellow  and  an  excellent  dragoman,  and  you  can 
judge  of  my  astonishment  when  I  received  in  reply 
the  subjoined  letter  : 

Cairo,  Ath  March,  1878. 
Dr.  Warren-Bey. 

My  Dear  Sir:  After  presenting  you  my  best 
wishes  and  compliments,  I  wish  to  tell  you  about 
a  very  wonderful  and  glorious  thing.  You  know 
that  I  was  a  very  strict  Mohammedan.  One  day, 
as  I  thought  proper  and  very  necessary  to  search 
for  the  true  religion,  I  found  that  Christianity  is 
the  true  one,  therefore,  I  embraced  it  six  months 
ago.  Indeed,  I  suffered  many  trials  and  persecu- 
tions  for    the   true    relio'ion  of  God.     Had  I    not 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  421 

taken  Dr.  Lansing's  house  as  my  refuge,  I  should 
have  been  put  to  cTeath,  according  to  the  Moham- 
medan barbarous  law.  Now  I  am  as  a  prisoner  in 
Dr.  Lansing's,  unable  to  go  out  at  all,  because  my 
relations  and  the  Mohammedans  are  so  excited  and 
watching  over  me  all  the  time  ;  therefore,  I  was 
unable  to  go  out  with  General  L. 

I  wish  you  to  pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  strong 
enough  to  bear  such  trials  for  the  sake  of  my  Lord 
and  Saviour. 

Please  give  my  love  to  Mrs.  and  Misses  Warren. 
Your  most  sincere 

AcHMED  Fahmy. 

I  never  heard  of  him  afterward,  and  can  only 
hope  that  he  remained  true  to  the  faith  which  had 
thus  germinated  in  his  heart  from  the  seeds  that 
we  were  instrumental  in  sowing  there. 

William  took  the  conversion  all  to  himself,  and 
rejoiced  over  it  exceedingly,  telling  me,  in  con- 
fidence, that  with  a  little  more  ''book  larning 
and  practice  "  he  would  have  made  ''just  about  as 
good  a  preacher  as  any  of  them."  Most  white 
men  believe  that  they  are  natural-born  actors, 
while  every  darkey  regards  himself  as  a  preacher 
in  disguise. 

I  can't  refrain  from  telling  you  of  an  instance 
in  which  Achmed  translated  some  directions  of 
mine  to  a  patient,  verbatim  et  literatim,  and  with 
a  result  that  was  far  more  laughable  than  scientific, 
as  you  will  see. 

Having  been  called  to  an  Armenian  with  a  large 
ulcer  on  his  head,  I  directed  him,  through  Achmed, 
to  shave  the  hair  from  its  margins^  and  to  keep  it 
covered  with  flour'wniW  the  next  day,  when  I  would 
call  and.  cauterize  it.  On  making  my  second  visit, 
I  found  the  patient  seated  in  state,  surrounded  by 


422  A  doctor's  experiences 

his  astonished  neighbors,  with  the  hair  shaven 
from  his  entire  scalp,  and  a  crown  of  roses  encir- 
cling his  head — all  the  result  of  the  absolutely  lit- 
eral manner  in  which  my  instructions  had  been 
construed  by  my  faithful  dragoman. 

The  Egyptians  are  an  amiable  and  docile  race, 
very  much  resembling  in  disposition  and  character 
the  American  negroes.  I  had  many  evidences  of 
their  kindliness,  but  not  one  which  impressed  me 
more  deeply  than  the  devotion  which  my  baby's 
nurse  manifested  when  the  dear  little  fellow  was 
stricken  with  the  small-pox.  I  was  suffering  at 
the  time  with  ophthalmia,  and  having  so  little 
vision  remaining  that  I  could  scarcely  discern 
objects  around  me,  my  physician  kept  me  confined 
in  a  darkened  room,  with  my  eyes  covered  with 
warm  compresses.  I  was  informed  that  the  child 
was  covered  with  a  ^^  curious  eruption"  and  had 
fever,  but  being  told  by  the  oculist  that  it  was  a 
case  of  simple  varicella,  I  gave  no  serious  thought 
to  the  matter.  After  a  day  or  two  my  wife  said  to 
me,  ''I  wish  you  could  examine  the  baby,  for 
he  is  evidentl}^  very  ill,  and  the  eruption  gets  worse 
all  the  time."  ''  I  will  see  him  at  all  hazards,"  I 
said,  being  greatly  alarmed  and  apprehending  se- 
rious trouble.  Washing  my  eyes  thoroughly  with 
warm  water,  and  having  a  lamp  held  behind  me,  I 
made  an  examination  of  the  child,  and  found  to 
my  consternation  that  he  was  suffering  with  con- 
fluent small-pox.  He  was  a  beautiful  boy,  and  I 
had  permitted  myself  to  believe  that  he  had  been 
sent  in  mercy  to  replace  my  first-born  son,  but  I 
realized  at  a  glance  that  he  was  doomed,  and  that 
our  still  bleeding  bosoms  were  to  be  lacerated  anew. 
It  was  a  hard  task  to  tell  his  mother  of  his  condi- 
tion, for  she,  too,  had  regarded  him   as  a  '^  child 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  '  423 

of  consolation,"  and  had   lavished    upon  him  all 
the  idolatry  of  which  her  loving  nature  was  capable. 

Sorrow  reigned  in  my  house  that  day  and  for 
many  days  afterward.  The  disease  marched  with 
its  wonted  rapidity  and  violence,  and,  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  secondary  fever,  another  soul 
passed  through  ^'  the  pearly  gates,"  and  two  hearts 
were  left  stricken  and  desolate. 

As  soon  as  I  discovered  the  real  nature  of  the 
disease,  I  informed  his  Arab  nurse  of  his  condition 
and  of  her  danger,  and  told  her  that  I  could  not  be 
so  cruel  as  to  ask  her  to  remain  with  him  under  the 
circumstances. 

Poor  Amoonah  was  broken-hearted,  not  for  her- 
self, but  for  him,  and,  declaring  that  she  was  '^will- 
ing to  die  for  the  ivallad,"  the  Arab  term  for  little 
boy,  she  held  him  in  her  arms  until  he  breathed  his 
last,  crying  over  him  as  if  her  heart  would  break, 
and  uttering  that  peculiar  wail"^  with  which  an 
Eastern  mother  mourns  the  lossof  her  ownoffspring. 
Although  she  and  the  other  members  of  the  family 
were  not  vaccinated  until  several  days  after  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  eruption,  no  other  case  occurred, 
and  we  were  left  alone  with  our  sorrow  in  that  land 
of  strangers.  Surely,  no  severer  test  of  courage 
and  devotion  could  have  been  applied,  and  the  con- 
duct of  that  lowly  Arab  woman  was  simply  sublime, 
for  she  appreciated  the  risk;  she  was  free  to  go,  and 
we  were  Christians  and  aliens. 

The  excitement  and  grief  through  which  I  was 
thus  compelled  to  pass  increased  the  inflammation 
of  my  eyes,  and  for  more  than  six  weeks  I  lay  in  a 
darkened  chamber,  feeling  as  if  a  hot  iron  was  be- 
ing thrust  through  the  orbit  into  the  brain,  and 
oppressed  by  the  apprehension  of  permanent  blind- 


*See  Appendix  (I). 


424  'A  doctor's  expeeiences 

ness.  Those  were  dark  days,  indeed,  and  the  re- 
n^embrance  of  them  still  shadows  my  memory  like 
the  souvenirs  of  some  terrible  nightmare. 

But  for  the  fidelity  of  Dr.  Abatte — an  Italian 
physician  connected  with  the  Palace — and  the  un- 
tiring ministrations  of  my  wife  and  daughter,  I 
should  have  lost  my  vision  and  perhaps  my  life. 
Of  this  truly  good  man  I  shall  have  more  to  say 
anon,  for  he  proved  himself  a  true  friend  in  a  great 
emergency,  and  I  can  never  live  long  enough  to 
repyy  his  kindness. 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  425 


LETTER   XXIX. 

IN  EGYPT. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  word  hareerti^  means  a  man's  family,  and  the 
place  of  its  abode,  though  in  Eastern  lands  the  term 
covers  much  ground  and  includes  some  very  pecu- 
liar ideas.  Every  Mohammedan  is  entitled  to  four 
wives,  each  taking  rank  according  to  the  date  of  her 
marriage,  beginning  with  the  youngest,  and  all  be- 
ing virtually  the  slaves  of  their  husband.  In  many 
instances  wives  are  really  slaves,  having  been 
originally  purchased  and  never  having  been  en- 
franchised. In  this  way  they  may  become  the 
property  of  their  own  children  by  inheritance,  and 
they  have  been  sold  as  such  both  publicly  and  pri- 
vately in  Cairo.  Such  occurrences  are,  however, 
rare  in  Egypt,  for  filial  affection  predominates  there 
over  mercenary  considerations,  as  a  general  rule. 

The  Koran  teaches  reverence  for  parents  in  em- 
phatic terms,  and  promises  special  rewards  to  those 
who  manifest  love  and  kindliness  toward  the  mothers 
who  bore  them. 

Ismail  Pasha  set  a  noble  example  in  this  respect, 
as  he  made  it  the  mode  to  display  great  regard  and 
veneration  for  the  mothers  of  Egypt. 

He  surrounded  his  own  mother  with  the  insignia 
of  royalty,  treating  her  as  if  she  was  his  superior  in 

*See  Appendix  (J),  and  note  that  I  spell  the  word  pur- 
posely with  a  double  e  to  make  it  conform  with  its  pronun- 
ciation. 


426  A  doctor's  experiences 

rank,  and  exacting  from  his  subjects  an  equal 
measure  of»respect  and  consideration  for  her. 

On  all  state  occasions  it  was  as  much  a  matter  of 
etiquette  to  call  on  her  as  on  him.  She  did  not  re- 
ceive in  person,  but  by  pi'oxy,  her  representative 
being  an  old  eunuch,  who,  though  of  ebony  hue,  was 
a  man  of  fine  appearance,  and  of  the  most  courtly 
manners.  I  have  repeatedly  called  with  the  Khedi- 
val  Court  to  do  homage  to  the  '^Queen-Mother," 
as  she  was  designated,  and  was  alwaj^s  received  by 
her  eunuch,  who  did  the  honors  of  his  mistress's 
grand  establishment  with  an  ease  and  elegance 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  the  most  polished 
courtier  in  Europe.  The  Egyptian  officers  made  it 
a  point  to  hieel  and  kiss  Ms  hand,  while  the  Ameri- 
cans limited  their  obeisance  to  shaking  hands  with 
him,  wishing  him  long  life  and  prosperity,  and 
drinking  a  cup  of  his  delicious  coffee.  As  the  chief 
eunuch  of  the  mother  of  the  Khedive  he  possessed 
great  power,  and  was  one  of  the  most  courted  and 
flattered  personages  in  Egypt. 

A  Mohammedan  has  no  trouble  in  getting  rid  of 
a  wife.  He  is  not  called  uj^on  to  invoke  the  ma- 
chinery of  a  court  of  law,  but  the  words  :  ''  I  divorce 
you,"  severs  the  bond  at  once  and  it  may  be  for 
ever.  The  wife  has  the  right  to  demand  then  a 
certain  sum  of  money,  her  original  dowry,  and  all 
of  her  children  within  certain  j^ears,  but  she  must 
find  an  asylum  under  some  other  roof  than  his  at 
the  earliest  moment  possible. 

A  regularly-divorced  woman  cannot  re-marry 
her  original  husband  until  she  has  married  an- 
other, and  has  been  divorced  by  him,  as  I  dis- 
covered by  a  case  which  came  under  my  personal 
observation. 

We  had  a  regular  American  reception  on  the 
first  day  of  January,  1874,  and  among  the  callers 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  427 

was  a  captain  of  the  staff,  who  became  gloriously 
drunk  on  champagne,  which  he  excused  himself 
for  drinking  by  laying  the  flattering  unction  to  his 
soul  that  "it  had  been  invented  since  the  clays  of 
the  Prophet  and  was  not,  therefore,  included  in  his 
injunction  against  the  use  of  wines." 

Eeturning  to  his  own  house  at  a  late  hour,  and 
finding  his  dinner  cold,  he  flew  into  a  violent  rage 
w^ith  his  wife,  and,  carried  away  by  his  drunken 
frenzy,  he  pronounced  those  words  of  doom  and 
separation^  "  I  divorce  j on,"  three  distinct  times, 
without  really  knowing  what  he  was  doing. 

Unfortunately  there  was  a  witness  present,  so 
that  when  he  awoke  on  the  succeeding  morning  he 
found  to  his  consternation  that  he  was  minus  a  wife 
and  child,  for  the  woman  had  left  the  house  to 
seek  the  protection  of  her  father's  roof.  The  poor 
fellow  was  utterly  heart-broken,  for  he  loved  his 
wife  and  idolized  his  baby,  a  little  girl  about  two 
years  of  age. 

He  immediately  sought  me  in  his  sorrow,  and, 
ignorant  of  the  law  on  the  subject,  I  advised  him 
to  apologize  and  remarry  her.  "But  where  shall 
1  find  the  man?"  he  exclaimed,  crying  like  a  child. 

"Find  the  man!     What  man?"    I  answered. 

"  Find  a  man  to  marry  and  then  divorce  her 
for  mCj"  he  said,  and  then  explained  the  require- 
ments of  the  Mussulman  law  when  the  fatal  words 
have  been  thrice  pronounced,  as  in  this  instance. 

I  could  do  nothing  for  him  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  I  saw  him  for  several  weeks  after- 
ward moping  about  the  Citadel,  the  picture  of 
wretchedness  and  despondency.  After  awhile  he 
came  again  with  the  announcement  that  the  matter 
had  been  arranged  to  his  satisfaction,  that  he  had 
found  a   friend,    who,    for    a    consideration,    had 


428  A  doctor's  experiences 

agreed  to  marry  and  divorce  his  wife,  according  to 
the  requirements  of  the  Koran. 

Some  days  afterward  he  sent  a  messenger  to  my 
house,  imploring  me  to  visit  him  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment,  '^  as  he  was  very  ill  and  required 
professional  services."  I  found  him  in  bed,  with  a 
nervous  fever,  utterly  broken  down  physically  and 
morally.  "Oh!  Doctor,  there  is  no  friendship  in 
the  world,"  he  exclaimed,  "and  women  are  only 
devils  in. disguise." 

"But  what  is  the  matter?"  I  inquired. 

"I  thought  I  had  arranged  everything,"  he 
sobbed  out,  "but  it  has  all  gone  wrong,  and  it  will 
surely  kill  me.  So  much  for  disobeying  the  com- 
mands of  the  Prophet !  I  found  the  man  and  they 
were  married,  but  they  have  fallen  in  love  with 
each  other  and  he  refuses  to  divorce  her  according 
to  his  agreement.  I  have  lost  my  wife  and  my 
child  forever.  My  heart  is  broken,  I  shall  die,  if 
you  do  not  give  me  something  to  prevent  it." 

I  invoked  the  soothing  properties  of  the  bromide 
of  potassium,  and  left  him  to  his  reflections  on  the 
dangers  of  champagne,  the  inconstancy  of  women, 
and  the  unreliability  of  human  friendship. 

In  about  a  month's  time  he  paid  me  another 
visit,  looking  as  smiling  as  possible,  and  as  proud 
as  Lucifer  himself. 

"  Congratulate  me,"  he  said,  "for  it  is  all  ar- 
ranged, and  I  am  a  happy  man  once  more." 

"  So  your  wife  has  returned  to  you?" 

"  Not  at  all ;  she  stuck  to  the  other  fellow,  and 
I  have  a  new  wife,  and  a  far  handsomer  one,  I 
assure  you.  Finding  myself  very  lonely,  I  bor- 
rowed the  money  and  bought  a  wife." 

"  Bought  a  wife  !     What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Yes,  I  went  to  Fatma,  the  lady  who  supplies 
the  Kh-edive's   hareem,  told  her   precisely  what  I 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  429 

wanted  and  how  much  I  coukl  pay,  and  she  sold 
me  a  nice  Circassian  girl,  to  whom  I  was  married 
on  yesterday.  Don't  you  think  I  have  done  well  ? 
She  only  cost  me  five  hundred  francs^  and  I  find 
her  handsome  and  very  amiable.  I  think  I  shall 
love  her  child  as  much  as  the  one  I  have  lost, 
though  I  still  miss  little  Minta  dreadfully  at 
times." 

I  congratulated  him,  of  course,  as  I  was  pleased 
to  see  him  restored  to  health  and  happiness  after 
so  painful  an  adventure^  which,  unfortunately,  had 
its  inception  at  my  table. 

There  is  a  class  of  men  who  make  it  their  voca- 
tion to  marry  and  divorce  women  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. They  are  called  mustohaUs ,  and  are 
conspicuous  for  their  ugliness  or  deformity,  so  as 
to  give  no  apprehensio'n  to- those  by  whom  they  are 
employed  of  a  denouement,  such  as  actually  oc- 
curred in  the  case  which  I  have  just  related. 
They  demand  always  a  handsome  dowry,  which 
they  retain  as  a  reward  for  their  services  in  thus 
filling  up  chasms  of  domestic  infelicity  by  bring- 
ing divorced  wives  and  repentant  husbands  to- 
gether again. 

The  wealthier  classes  sometimes  make  use  of  a 
slave  to.  officiate  in  this  character,  and  the  blacker 
and  uglier  he  is,  the  more  he  is  in  request.  The 
marriage  takes  place  in  the  presence  of  witnesses, 
a  dowry  is  given  to  legalize  it,  and  it  is  duly 
consummated,  so  that  the  slave  becomes  both 
de  jure  and  de  facto  the  husband  of  the  divorced 
woman.  The  slave  is  then  presented  to  her,  and 
the  moment  that  he  becomes  her  property  the  mar- 
riage is  ijjso  facto  dissolved,  and  she  is  free  to 
marry  her  original  spouse  or  whoever  she  pleases. 
My  friend  was  not  rich  enough  to  employ  a  musto- 
liall  or  a  slave^,  and  had  consequently  to  appeal  to 


430  A  doctor's  experiences 

a  friend,  who  deceived  him,  and  appropriated  his 
wife  in  the  bargain. 

I  came  near  being  the  cause  of  a  divorce  on  one 
occasion,  by  simply  doing  that  which  I  considered 
to  be  demanded  by  the  laws  of  common  politeness. 
I  was  sent  for  by  an  old  bey  of  wealth  and  influ- 
ence to  visit  the  youngest  of  his  four  wives — a 
hazel-eyed,  voluptuous-looking  Circassian — who 
was  suffering  from  stomatitis,  produced  by  the  use 
of  hennaj  a  substance  in  common  use  among  the 
women  of  Egypt,  for  the  staining  of  their  nails, 
teeth,  the  soles  of  their  feet,  &c.  I  found  her 
seated  upon  a  divan,  covered  with  a  haharrah,'^  and, 
as  a  special  privilege,  I  was  permitted  to  introduce 
my  hand  beneath  its  folds,  and  iofeel  her  gums. 
Prescribing  to  the  best  of  my  ability  under  these 
disadvantageous  circumstances,  I  promised  to  re- 
turn in  a  few  days,  and  bowed  myself  out  of  the 
apartment. 

On  my  second  visit,  by  some  accident  I  left  my 
dragoman  at  home,  and  found  on  my  arrival  at  the 
Bey's  residence  that  its  master  was  absent.  The 
eunuch  received  me  very  graciously,  however,  and 
conducted  me  to  the  apartment  of  his  mistress, 
where  I  found  the  patient  awaiting  me.  The  fair 
invalid  was  unusually  complaisant,  expressing 
much  pleasure  at  my  visit,  chatting  gaily  about 
her  malady,  and  gradually  removing  her  vail  until 
she  had  uncovered  her  entire  face,  which  I  thought 
perfectly  right,  as  her  mother  was  present,  and  as 
it  enabled  me  to  examine  her  gums,  and  to  make  a 
proper  application  to  them.  She  then  ordered  cof- 
fee and  cigarettes,  which  I  accepted,  and  in  the 
best  Arabic  that  I  could  master,  made  myself  as 
agreeable  as  possible,  though  not  getting  beyond  a 


"See  Appendix  (K). 


IN   THREE   COXTINENTS.  431 

few    common-place    expressions   taken    from    the 
phrase  book. 

I  was  delighted  with  the  manner  in  which  I  had 
been  entertained,  and  I  departed,  rejoicing  in  the 
conviction  that  I  had  made  a  good  impression  upon 
the  invalid  and  had  secured  the  family  eii  perma- 
nence as  friends  and  patrons. 

At  an  earlv  hour  on  the  succeedino^  morninsr  I 
received  a  message  from  the  bey,  to  the  effect  that 
his  wife  had  gone  to  the  country  for  a  change  of 
air,  and  the  sum  of  fifty  francs  in  return  for  my 
professional  services.  Assured  at  once  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  I  sent  Achmed  around  to  pre- 
sent my  compliments  and  to  ascertain  the  nature  of 
the  difficulty.  He  soon  returned,  looking  as  pale 
as  a  ghost,  and  frightened  nearly  out  of  his  wits. 

''  Oh,  Doctor!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  entered  my 
office,  ''the  Bey  is  terribly  angry  with  you.  He  is 
going  to  visit  the  Khedive  to  complain  that  you 
have  insulted  him,  and  to  ask  for  redress.  He  says 
that  you  shall  be  driven  out  of  the  country  for  the 
great  outrage  which  you  perpetrated  in  his  house 
on  yesterday  You  are  in  serious  trouble.-  I  am 
so  sorry  that  I  was  not  with  you." 

''  I  was  as  polite  and  as  respectful  as  possible  on 
yesterday.  I  conducted  myself  as  a  gentleman  and 
a  physician  in  every  way.  Of  what  does  the  old 
fool  complain  ?" 

"He  says  that  you  violated  the  Mohammedan 
law — that  you  offered  an  insult  to  the  religion  and 
the  customs  of  the  country,  and  he  swears  by  the 
beard  of  the  Prophet  that  you  shall  be  punished  for 
it.     He  has  already  punished  his  wife." 

"Punished  his  wife?     What  does  it  all  mean  ?" 

"  His  wife  uncovered  herself  before  you,  did  she 
not?" 

"  Yes,  but  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  her  uncover- 


432  A  doctor's  experiences 

ing  herself.  She  did  it  of  her  own  volition.  What 
have  I  done,  I  should  like  to  know  ?" 

'■^  You  looked  at  her  face  ;  you  saw  her  mouth 
and  the  back  of  her  head." 

"  Of  course,  but  how  could  I  help  seeing  her  face 
and  head  when  she  uncovered  them?  As  for  her 
mouth,  it  is  what  I  wanted  to  see.  Was  there 
any  crime  in  seeing  what  was  before  my  eyes — in 
looking  at  what  I  was  sent  for  to  treat?" 

'^Yes,  Doctor,  according  to  the  Mohammedan 
law,  it  was  a  crime  to  look  at  them,  and  especially 
at  her  mouth  and  head.  You  have  defiled  her  by 
gazing  on  them,  and  have  placed  your  life  even 
at  the  mercy  of  her  husband." 

'^A  crime  to  look  at  her  face  !  Defiled  her  by 
seeing  her  mouth  and  head  !  What  was  I  to  do 
when  she  uncovered  herself  and  exposed  them  to 
view  t 

''  It  was  your  solemn  duty  to  turn  your  back 
upon  her,  and  then  to  walk  to  the  corner  of  the 
room  and  hold  your  face  there  until  she  recovered 
herself.  That  is  what  our  law  and  customs  de- 
mand under  such  circumstances  ;  and  it  is  for  not 
doing  that  precise  thing  that  the  old  man  is  angry, 
and  is  going  to  report  you  to  his  highness." 

Well,  let  him  report  as  soon  as  he  pleases. 
His  highness  has  lived  in  Christian  countries,  and 
he  knows  that  to  turn  one's  back  on  a  lady  is  an 
offense  that  no  gentleman  would  think  of  commit- 
ting. I  am  not  in  the  least  alarmed.  But  you 
say  he  has  punished  his  wife.  What  has  he  done 
to  her?" 

^'Oh,  yes,  he  has  punished  her.  I  heard  both  her 
and  her  mother  wailing,  and  the  eunuch  told  me 
that  the  Bey  had  said  to  her,  "I  divorce  you,"  tivice, 
and  had  ordered  her  to  his  country  place  on  pro- 
bation  for    six    months,  when    he    w^ould   decide 


i 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  433 

whether  or  not  to  make  the  divorce  absolute  by  re- 
peating it  the  third  time.  Nothing  but  the  prayers 
of  her  mother  has  prevented  him  from  divorcing 
her  at  once  and  absolutely." 

^'  Then  come  with  me,  I  will  pay  him  a  visit,  and 
after  having  explained  my  conduct,  having  shown 
him  that  as  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman  I  could  not 
turn  my  back  on  a  lady,  I  will  intercede  for  the 
poor  woman." 

'"'All  right,  your  excellency.  I  think  that  the 
best  course  to  pursue," 

I  drove  at  once  to  the  house  of  the  bey,  where  I 
was  met  by  the  eunuch  with  many  salaams,  pro- 
fessions of  friendship,  and  the  assurance  that  his 
master  was  not  at  home.  "That  is  all  right," 
said  I,  slipping  a  ten-franc  piece  in  his  itching 
palm.  '^I  will  aw^ait  his  return."  I  was  im- 
mediately invited  into  the  house,  given  a  cup  of 
coffee  and  a  pipe,  and  overwhelmed  with  politeness, 
while  the  master  was  produced  after  so  brief  a 
delay  as  to  assure  me  that  he  had  been  at  home 
all  the  time. 

Talk  about  French  politeness  !  It  is  no  more  to 
be  compared  to  that  of  an  Oriental  than  a  mustard 
seed  to  a  pumpkin.  The  old  bey  was  as  suave  and 
as  obsequious  as  if  I  had  been  the  Khedive  himself. 
Although  he  w^ould  have  been  pleased  to  throw 
me  in  the  Nile,  he  actually  embraced  me,  and 
declared  that  he  and  his  household  were  my  friends 
and  slaves.  As  we  sipped  our  cofiPee  together,  I 
made  Achmed  explain  that,  never  having  lived 
in  a  Mohammedan  country  before,  I  was  ignorant 
of  its  customs,  and  that  in  Christian  lands  it  w^as 
regarded  as  a  breach  of  civility  to  turn  one's  back 
on  a  lady,  especially  on  the  wife  of  a  great  man  and 
an  esteemed  friend.  He  professed  to  be  more  than 
satisfied,  bea:2fed  me  never  to  think  of  the  occur- 
28 


434  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

rence  again,  and  vowed  that  no  other  physiciaD 
should  ever  cross  his  threshold  while  1  remained 
in  the  country. 

I  then  tried  to  put  in  a  word  for  the  wife,  hut^ 
while  he  smiled,  bowed  and  looked  the  very  pic- 
tare  of  amiability,  he  told  Achmed  in  Turkish — 
knowing  that  I  did  not  understand  the  language- 
— that  if  another  word  was  said  concerning  his- 
hareem,  or  if  I  was  informed  of  the  threat  that  he  was 
then  making,  he  (Achmed)  should  receive  the  kour- 
Z>as'Ae  and  be  sent  to  the  Soudan,  a  region  which 
in  Egypt  is  placed  upon  the  same  plane  with  the 
''bottomless  pit,''  both  as  regards  climate  and  a 
hillet  cle  retour. 

I  could  learn  nothing  respecting  the  fate  of  the 
unfortunate  wife,  and  I  never  saw  or  heard  of  the 
Bey  again  while  I  remained  in  Egypt. 

It  seems  that  with  many  women  the  mouth  and 
the  back  of  the  head  are  the  'pieces  de  resistance, 
and  that  the  face  is  vailed  for  the  especial  pur- 
pose of  guarding  their  features  against  masculine 
observation  ;  this  exposure  being  regarded  as  the 
tdtima  thule  of  pollution,  especially  if  the  woman  be 
a  wife. 

Though  the  w^omen  of  the  Jiareem  live  only  in  an 
atmosphere  of  intrigue,  their  experience  in  that  re- 
gard is  usually  confined  to  plots  and  aspirations. 
Guarded  by  mercenary  eunuchs,  separated  from  the 
world  by  every  barrier  that  jealousy  can  invent^ 
and  confronted  by  the  certainty  of  punishment  in 
the  event  of  discover}^  the  current  of  their  lives  is 
seldom  stirred  by  the  ripple  of  a  real  adventure. 

Nevertheless,  it  sometimes  happens  even  in 
Eastern  lands  that  'Hove  laughs  at  locksmiths,"  and 
finds  a  way  to  fruition  in  spite  of  unsympathizing 
eunuchs  and  impotent  husbands. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  fact,  I  will  tell  you  a 


IN   THREE   CONTmENTS.  435 

story  as  it  was  told  to  me  by  an  old  Cairoan,  who 
vouched  for  its  correctness. 

A  few  years  since  a  young  bey — the  son  of  a  rich 
and  influential  pasha — became  enamored  of  a  lady 
occupying  a  high  position  in  the  hareem  of  a  great 
personage,  and  his  passion  was  reciprocated.  De- 
spite the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  situation, 
they  succeeded  in  securing  a  few  hurried  interviews, 
and  they  deluded  themselves  with  the  belief  that 
their  secret  was  exclusively  confined  to  their  trusted 
and  sympathizing  attendants. 

She  started  out  one  night  in  her  carriage,  os- 
tensibly to  attend  the  opera — where  a  private  en- 
trance and  a  latticed  box  had  been  constructed  for 
the  convenience  of  women  occupying  a  certain 
position  in  society — accompanied  by  three  eunuchs, 
one  with  the  coachman  and  the  other  two  on  horse- 
back as  outriders.  As  the  cortege  passed  a  certain 
secluded  spot  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  palace 
it  halted  for  an  instant,  and  a  muffled  figure 
emerged  from  the  obscurity  and  entered  the  car- 
riage. Instead  of  taking  the  direction  of  the  opera 
house  it  kept  straight  on  by  the  Esbeekyah  garden, 
over  the  canal  bridge,  and  into  the  Choubra  road, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  Cairo.  It  had  just  reached 
the  rows  of  acacias  which  adorn  either  side  of  that 
great  thoroughfare,  when  a  small  detachment  of 
policemen  sprang  from  behind  the  trees,  seized  the 
bridles  of  the  horses,  and  stopped  the  carriage. 
Then,  having  spoken  a  few  words  to  the  affrighted 
lovers  and  astonished  eunuchs,  they  carried  the 
entire  party  to  the  private  entrance  of  Zapteih — the 
principal  police  station  of  the  city. 

Xo  trial  was  permitted,  but  a  sentence  was  i^i"©- 
nounced — and  a  very  speedy  and  fearful  one.  The 
eunuch  and  the  coachman  disappeared — they  were 
doubtless  tied  up  in   sacks    and  thrown  into   the 


436  A  doctor's  experiences 

/Nile  ;  while  the  bey  was  forced  into  the  ranks  of 
a  regiment  e?i  route  to  Khartoum,  and  the  lady, 
despoiled  of  her  silks  and  jewels,  stripped  of  her 
vail,  and  clad  in  the  dress  of  a  peasant,  was  forced 
to  marry  a  negro  soldier — or,  in  other  words,  to 
iDecome  his  cook  and  washerwoman  for  the  re- 
imainder  of  her  days. 

1  cannot  vouch  for  this  story,  but  my  friend  de- 
clared it  to  be  true,  and  I  have  absolute  confidence 
in  his  reliability. 

Family  life  is  in  realit}^  unknown  among  Mus- 
sulmans. The  law  of  the  Koran^  which  divides 
mankind  into  two  distinct  classes — males  and  fe- 
males— does  not  permit  the  existence  of  a  family 
in  which  each  member  lives  the  same  life  and 
forms  a  part  of  one  harmonious  me?ia^e.  The  men 
have  separate  ideas,  habits  and  interests,  while  the 
women  have  others,  appertaining  exclusively  to 
themselves.  Thus,  persons  who  nominally  form  a 
part  of  the  same  family  have  absolutely  nothing 
in  common — neither  apartments,  goods,  furniture 
•^nor  friends. 

The  selamlih  and  the  Jiareem  are  virtually  two 
-separate  establishments,  in  which  each  occupant 
<loes  just  what  it  pleases  him  or  her  self^ — within 
the  limits  prescribed  by  Mohammedan  etiquette 
and  usage. 

The  system  of  segregation  upon  which  Mussul- 
man famil}^  life  is  based,  influenced  by  the  para- 
mount law  of  self-interest,  gives  rise  to  a  singular- 
ity which  is  remarkable.  The  women  on  their  side 
have  their  own  jD^'ivate  affairs.  They  entertain 
their  friends  ;  they  have  their  own  receptions,  and 
they  amuse  themselves  in  their  own  fashion,  and  to 
the  extent  allowed  by  their  vigilant  guardians,  the 
■eunuchs.  In  the  selamUk  the  pasha,  his  friends,  de- 
pendents, visitors  and  guests  do  the  same  things, 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  43*^ 

spend  their  time  in  talking  politics,  intriguing^ 
gossiping,  and  amusing  themselves  according  to 
the  bent  of  their  inclinations.  In  a  word,  the  men 
and  the  women  live  virtually  apart,  having  no 
sentiments  or  interests  or  aspirations  in  common, 
each  trjdng  to  get  all  the  enjoyment  possible  out 
of  life,  without  taking  heed  of  the  existence  of  the 
other. 

It  is  generally  about  11  p.  m.  when  the  pasha 
definitely  retires  to  the  hareem.  He  is  received  at 
the  threshold  by  the  eunuch,  who  awaits  his  ap- 
proach with  lights  in  each  hand,  and  then  pre- 
cedes him  through  the  entrance  hall  to  the  apart- 
ment of  his  favorite  wife  or  his  concubine. 

At  the  time  of  rising  in  the  morning  he  is  at- 
tended by  slaves  who  assist  at  his  toilet  and  ablu- 
tions^ and  when  these  are  completed,  he  remains, 
for  a  few  moments  in  the  hareem  to  talk  with  the 
members  of  his  family  on  any  subject  that  may  in- 
terest them,  and  then  hastens  to  join  his  friends 
and  attendants  in  his  own  apartment,  within  which 
the  females  of  his  family  seldom  intrude  them- 
selves. 

It  is  only  during  the  brief  .period  in  which  he 
lingers  in  the  hareem  that  the  "family  circle"  has 
any  real  existence — for  the  rest  of  the  time  it  exists 
only  in  name. 

Such  is  the  prejudice  existing  among  Moham- 
medans against  the  association  of  the  sexes  that  a 
woman  is  considered  absolutely  defiled  after  her 
face  has  been  seen  by  one  who  has  not  the  right  ta 
look  upon  it,  or  has  even  spoken  to  a  man  ;  and  it 
is  unlawful  to  bury  a  female  and  a  male  in  the 
same  tomb  without  buildins;  a  stone  wall  betAveen 
them,  upon  the  assumption,  doubtless,  that — 

"  E'en  in  their  ashes  live  their  wonted  fires." 


438  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER  XXX. 

EGYPTIAN  EXPERIEXCES. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

We  were  formally  presented  to  the  Khedive,  who 
received  us  with  great  cordiality,  and  remarked 
that  he  hoped  we  should  never  have  cause  to  re- 
gret our  connection  with  his  service,  and  justice  to 
that  great  man  constrains  me  to  say  that  his  con- 
duct was  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  genuine  kind- 
ness and  absolute  liberality  during  the  entire  period 
of  my  residence  in  Egypt. 

No  man  has  been  more  abused  than  Ismail 
Pasha,*  and  yet  impartial  history  will  place  him 
in  the  first  rank  of  rulers  and  statesmen.  The  ut- 
ter ruin  which  has  fallen  upon  his  country  since 
his  abdication,  compared  with  its  prosperous  con- 
dition when  he  controlled  its  destinies,  speaks  with 
a  trumpet's  tongue  in  his  behalf.  Forced  to  abdi- 
cate because  his  genius  and  patriotism  were  stum- 
bling-blocks in  the  way  of  England's  ^'  foreign 
policy,"  a  systematic  effort  has  been  made  to  tra- 
duce him,  in  order  to  demonstrate  the  wisdom  of 
hir  removal.  But  tbe  great  work  which  he  did  in 
Egypt,  together  with  the  complete  chaos  and  de- 
moralization which  have  followed  his  removal,  will 
eventually  be  accepted  as  his  vindication  ;  and  the 
time  will  come — and  speedily — when  his  restora- 
tion to  power  will  be  regarded  as  the  only   practi- 


See  xlppendix  (L). 


■i 

I 


IN"   THREE   CONTINENTS.  439 

€al  solution  of  the  Egyptian  question,  as  the  sole 
means  of  re-establishing  peace  and  prosperity  to 
that  distracted  country.  His  son  and  successor, 
Tewfick  Pasha,  I  met  frequently,  and  know 
well.  A  more  loyal  gentleman  does  not  live,  but 
he  is  inherently  weak  and  vacillating.  Willing  to 
make  any  sacrifice  for  his  country,  but  influenced 
l)y  the  last  man  who  has  his  ear,  he  is  utterly  in- 
capable of  elaborating  or  of  maintaining  a  policy  of 
his  own.  Emphatically  a  Turk,  and  wedded  to 
the  traditions  of  the  past,  he  derives  his  inspira- 
tions exclusively  from  the  Koran.  With  him  as  a 
ruler,  progress  and  enlightenment  are  impossibili- 
ties in  Egypt,  and  the  country  can  only  gravitate 
-downward  toward  absolute  Mohammedanism,  with 
its  concomitant  ignorance,  superstition  and  intol- 
<3rance. 

Arabi  Pasha  has  been  accepted  as  a  patriot  and  a 
hero  by  those  who  are  ignorant  of  his  character,  and 
misinformed  in  regard  to  the  real  condition  of 
Egypt. 

Circumstances,  it  is  true,  gave  some  color  to  his 
pretensions  as  an  apostle  of  liberty  and  the  cham- 
pion of  an  oppressed  people,  but  he  is  intrinsically 
corrupt  and  incapable  of  a  sentiment  untainted  by 
cscotism  and  selfishness. 

It  is  said  that  he  was  once  drummed  out  of  his 
regiment  for  peculation,  and,  though  he  is  a  bold 
man,  his  character  is  polluted  by  vices  of  the  low- 
-est  and  the  most  degraded  nature.  The  people 
rallied  around  him  because  of  his  agrarian  princi- 
ples, and  from  the  conviction  that  he  desired  to  es- 
tablish a  regime  more  decidedly  Egyptian  than  that 
of  the  Khedive  himself,  that  is  to  say,  more  big- 
oted, contracted  and  fanatical  than  is  possible  un- 
der the  existing  order  of  things 

Had  Ismail  reigned  at  the    time,    there    would 


440  A  doctor's  experiences 

have  been  no  necessity  for  English  intervention  ^ 
for,  with  the  first  overt  act  of  rebellion,  Arabi 
would  have  been  sent  to  rusticate  in  the  arid  wastes 
of  the  Soudan  or  to  feed  the  fishes  of  the  Nile 
nearer  home. 

It  is  Arabi  who  is  really  responsible  for  his 
country's  ruin,  since  he  furnished  the  opportunity 
to  England  for  that  active  intervention  in  Egyptian 
affairs  which  she  had  so  long  and  impatientl}^ 
waited  for — that  excuse  for  seizing  and  holding  the 
country  of  which  she  so  gladly  availed  herself  un- 
der the  color  of  avenging  the  so-called  massacre  of 
Alexandria,  and  of  protecting  the  Khedive  against 
his  rebellious  subjects.  Viewed  therefore  from 
every  possible  standpoint,  the  abdication  of  Ismail 
Pasha  has  been  an  unmixed  calamity  to  Egypt — 
the  Pandora  box  from  which  the  direst  calamities 
have  been  let  loose  upon  that  unfortunate  country. 

Ismail  is  still  in  the  prime  of  a  vigorous  man- 
hood. Having  avoided  the  excesses  which  have 
hurried  so  many  of  his  i^redecessors  to  untimely 
graves,  his  powers  of  mind  and  body  have  suffered 
no  impairment.  With  his  lofty  ambition,  his  im- 
perious will,  his  indomitable  energy,  his  subtle 
statesmanship  and  his  profound  knowledge  of  the 
necessities  of  his  country,  and  of  the  charac- 
ter of  its  people,  he  has,  in  my  opinion,  a  grand 
role  still  before  him.  The  great  powers  of  Europe, 
wearying  of  the  criminal  fiasco  which  is  being 
played  upon  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  must  soon  arise 
in  their  majesty  and  compel  the  only  solution  which 
common  sense  and  sound  diplomacy  dictate — the 
immediate  restoration  of  this  wonderful  man  ta 
the  throne  which  he  once  so  signally  adorned  by 
his  wisdom,  courage,  enlightenment  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  necessities  of  his  countrymen. 

It  has  been  urged  that  Ismail  is  ambitious  ;  that 


I 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  441 

he  conquered  the  Soudan,  attem^^ted  to  annex  Abys- 
sinia and  desired  to  build  up  a  great  African  em- 
pire, with  himself  as  its  supreme  dictator.  This  is 
undoubtedly  true.  Such  was  his  dream.  But  the 
ambition  was  a  noble  one,  for  it  meant  the  reclama- 
tion of  millions  of  untutored  savages  from  barbar- 
ism— the  unfurling  of  the  standard  of  civilization 
and  good  government  over  vast  territories  which 
otherwise  must  remain  under  the  dominion  of  ig- 
norance, superstition  and  fanaticism  for  centuries 
to  come.  Surely  Ms  was  a  wiser  and  a  grander 
policy  than  tiiat  which  the  statesmen  of  Downing 
street  have  proclaimed — the  entire  abandonment 
of  the  Soudan  and  of  the  central  African  provinces 
to  their  native  population,  and  the  curtailment  of 
the  blessings  of  civilization  to  the  restricted  limits 
of  lower  and  upper  Egypt. 

It  is  better  far  to  have  Ismail  Pasha  upon  the 
Khedival  throne,  with  all  his  ambition — with  as 
capacious  an  empire  as  his  fondest  dreams  may 
have  mapped  out — than  to  see  the  light  of  civiliza- 
tion extinguished  for  ever  in  the  vast  regions  which 
he  has  already  reclaimed  by  the  expenditure  of  such 
a  stream  of  blood,  and  with  such  great  benefits  to 
their  people  and  to  the  world  at  large^  simply  that 
England  may  be  saved  the  expense  of  guarding  so 
extensive  a  line  of  frontier  against  a  hostile  popu- 
lation. 

He  has  been  accused  of  ruling  with  the  Kour- 
bache  alone,  and  of  oppressing  his  people.  I  only 
know  that,  under  his  domination,  the  blessings  of 
education  were  brought  to  the  door  of  every  man 
in  the  country  ;  that  religious  freedom  Avas  inaugu- 
rated from  Aboukir  to  Wadi  Haifa  ;  that  canals 
and  railroads  were  constructed  to  an  extent  that 
had  never  been  dreamed  of  before  ;  that  the  area 
of  arable  land  was  increased  by  millions  of  acres  ; 


442  A  doctor's  experiences 

that  the  wealth  of  Egypt  was  augmented  a  hun- 
dred fold  ;  that  slavery  was  abolished  and  the  slave 
trade,  in  a  great  measure,  suppressed  ;  that  thou- 
sands of  foreigners,  with  talents  and  material  wealth, 
were  attracted  to  the  country  and  induced  to  con- 
tribute to  its  prosperity  ;  that  a  stimulus  was  given 
to  manufactures  and  to  the  art  of  husbandry  un- 
precedented in  its  influence  and  consequences  ;  that 
a  land  which  he  found  a  cheerless  desert  was  con- 
verted into  a  smiling  garden,  and  that  a  people 
whom  he  first  knew  as  a  race  of  nomads  were 
transformed  into  a  nation,  and  given  a  position  of 
honor  and  influence  in  the  world.  I  only  know 
that,  since  his  expulsion,  civilization  has  retro- 
graded a  decade  ;  that  brigandage  has  taken  the 
place  of  peaceful  industry;  that  rapine  and  mur- 
der stalk  red-handed  through  the  provinces  ;  that 
poverty  has  usurped  the.  place  of  prosperity  ;  that 
the  people  generally  have  become  utterly  discon- 
tented and  demoralized,  and  that  Egypt  has  lost 
all  of  the  prestige  and  position  which  she  once  pos- 
sessed. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  Ismail  Pasha  was  sum- 
moned hurriedly  to  Constantinople,  and  left  Egypt 
without  having  given  the  necessary  orders  for  our 
assignment  to  duty.  Having  therefore  nothing  to 
do,  I  accepted  an  invitation  from  Greneral  Loring,* 
and  spent  several  weeks  with  him  at  G-abara. 

I  never  passed  a  more  agreeable  summer.  It  is 
true  that  the  midday  heat  was  oppressive  to  those 
who  ventured  out  of  doors,  but,  ensconced  under 
the  shelter  of  the  grand  veranda,  we  smoked  our 
pipes  or  drank  our  iced  champagne,  or  regaled  our- 
selves with  watermelons  from  the  Ionian  Isles  and 
fruits  from  the  Gabara  gardens,  or  fought  over  the 


See  Appendix  (X). 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  443 

battles  of  the  war,  or  talked  of  our  distant  homes 
and  mutual  friends,  without  realizing  even  that  the 
sun  shone,  while  the  mornings  and  evenings  were 
cooled  by  a  breeze  from  the  sea  that  brought 
strength  and  refreshment  in  its  every  breath. 

During  this  visit  I  met  for  the  first  time  General 
Sibley^  the  inventor  of  the  tent  which  bears  his 
name,  and  a  soldier  who  had  made  his  mark  in 
three  armies — that  of  the  United  States,  of  the 
Confederacy  and  of  the  Khedive  of  Egypt. 

Under  his  arduous  duties  his  health  had  com- 
pletely broken  down,  and  I  found  him  a  hopeless 
invalid  in  the  protestant  hospital,  just  beyond  the 
walls  of  Alexandria.  Acting  on  my  advice,  he 
resigned  his  commission  and  returned  home — to 
spend  the  remainder  of  a  life,  which  began  so  well, 
in  poverty  and  valetudinarianism. 

I  also  met  there  m}"  old  friend,  Colonel  Walter 
Jenifer,  the  real  hero  of  Ball's  Bluff,  who,  after 
distinguishing  himself  as  an  ^'inspector  of  cav- 
alry"— an  office  for  which  his  tastes  and  education 
pre-eminently  fitted  him — was  ordered  to  report 
for  duty  to  the  commander  of  Alexandria,  who  had 
no  cavalry  in  his  command,  and  was  thus  forced  to 
pass  his  days  in  inaction  and  repining.  He  re- 
signed soon  afterward  and  there  was  consequently 
lost  to  Egypt  one  of  the  best  officers  and  truest 
gentlemen  that  ever  entered  her  service. 

General  Frank-  Keynolds,  familiarly  known  as 
*'01d  Gauley,"  from  his  gallant  defense  of  a 
bridge  over  a  river  of  that  name  in  Western  Vir- 
ginia, and  his  son.  Colonel  Frank  Keynolds,  were 
also  aids  to  General  Loring,  and  occupied  quarteis 
in  the  palace.  They  were  fine  specimens  of  South- 
ern gentlemen  and  soldiers — as  brave  as  lions,  per- 
fectly accomplished  in  their  profession,  genial  in 
their  dispositions,   elegant   in   their  manners,  and 


444  A  doctor's  experiences 

wanting  for  nothing  save  an  opportunity  to  distin- 
guish themselves  and  to  win  the  promotion  which 
they  so  much  coveted.  By  a  strange  fatality,  first 
the  son,  and  then  the  father,  died  suddenly,  the 
one  in  America  and  the  other  in  Egypt,  to  the  sor- 
row of  their  friends  and  to  the  misfortune  of  the 
country  in  which  they  had  taken  service. 

Major  Campbell,  of  Tennessee,  another  gallant 
Southern  soldier,  was  also  a  member  of  General 
Loring's  staff,  and  with  him  I  passed  many  a 
pleasant  hour.  Shortly  afterward  he^was  ordered 
to  join  General  Gordon  in  Central  Africa,  but, 
having  contracted  a  fatal  malady  at  Gondokora, 
he  was  forced  to  attempt  to  return  to  Cairo  for 
medical  treatment,  but  died  at  Khartoum,  where 
he  was  faithfully  nursed  and  tenderly  buried  by 
the  Sisters  of  Charity,  who  have  a  convent  there. 
Campbell  had  originally  beeu  a  naval  officer,  first 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States  and  afterward 
in  that  of  the  Confederacy,  and  had  greatly  dis- 
tinguished himself  before  he  went  to  Egypt.  A 
more  gallant  and  loyal  man  never  lived,  and  I 
mourned  his  loss  as  if  he  had  been  my  own  brother. 
I  attempted  to  take  care  of  his  effects,  but  failed  in 
the  effort.  After  packing  his  valuables  in  a  trunk 
I  placed  it,  with  several  of  my  own,  in  the  hands 
of  a  native  officer,  who  promised  to  guard  them 
until  they  could  be  sent  for,  and  kept  his  word  by 
breaking  them  open,  appropriating  their  contents, 
and  then  sending  them  to  the  vacant  house  in  the 
'Dowhadieh,  which  I  had  used  as  my  dispensary. 
I  placed  also  in  the  hands  of  this  individual  a 
number  of  family  portraits,  which  he  pretended  to 
hang  upon  the  walls  of  his  house  for  safe  keepiing 
and  ended  by  selling  them  for  what  they  would 
bring.  I  actually  had  to  repurchase  several  of 
these  portraits,  while  the  most  valuable — that  of 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  445 

my  elder  daughter — could  never  be  found.  When 
questioned  by  the  American  consul^  he  simply  de- 
clared that  lie  had  never  seen  either  trunks  or  pic- 
tures, and  that  their  loss  did  not  concern  him  in 
the  least.  Such  is  Mohammedan  honesty  when 
the  propert}^  of  Christians  is  concerned  I 

The  only  thing  of  value  which  escaped  his  pil- 
fering fingers  was  a  wedding-vail,  which  had  orig- 
inally cost  a  thousand  dollars  and  was  the  gift  of 
old  Mr.  James  C.  Johnstone  to  my  wnfe.  That, 
fortunately,  happened  to  be  enveloped  in  a  child's 
calico  dress,  and  eluded  the  search  of  my  friend 
and  comrade,  much  to  our  delight,  as  you  may  im- 
agine. 

With  the  return  of  the  Khedive,  I  hastened  to 
Cairo,  and  was  rejoiced  by  the  immediate  issue  of 
an  order  assigning  me  to  duty  as  the  ''chief  sur- 
geon of  the  general  staff,"  which  gave  me  work 
to  do,  and  enabled  me  to  draw  my  pay  and  allow- 
ances. 

My  first  important  patient  was  the  assistant 
minister  of  war,  to  whom  I  was  sent  by  a  formal 
order  from  the  ministry. 

On  arriving  at  the  sick  man's  house,  I  found  a 
number  of  physicians  assembled,  as  a  formal  ''con- 
sultation "  had  been  commanded,  and  I  thus  had 
an  opportunity  of  learning  the  meaning  of  that 
term  as  it  is  understood  in  Egypt.  After  an  ex- 
change of  compliments  and  a  cup  of  coffee,*  we 
were  ushered  into  the  sick  chamber,  and  each  phy- 
sician— beginning  with  the  youngest  and  ending 
with  the  eldest — proceeded  to  make  sach  an  exam- 
ination as  his  judgment  suggested.  We  then  ad- 
journed to  the  garden,  where  an  exchange  of  views 
was  had.     Each  doctor  in  turn — beginning  again 

*See  Appendix  (M). 


416  A  doctor's  experiences 

with  the  youngest — gave  a  lecture  on  medicine 
generally,  parading  all  the  knowledge  which  he 
possessed  but  scarcely  touching  the  case,  and  ended 
by  declaring  that  the  ''patient  was  paralyzed,  and 
should  be  blistered  and  given  calomel." 

When  my  turn  came  I  declined  to  say  a  word 
until  I  had  heard  from  all  the  rest— putting  it 
upon  the  ground  of  politeness — and  finally  aston- 
ished them  by  the  announcement  that  the  Pasha  was 
not  paralyzed  in  the  least,  but  was  suffering  from 
rheumatism  accompanied  by  great  prostration,  and 
that  the  treatment  indicated  was  the  iodide  of  pot- 
ash and  proper  nourishment.  With  one  voice  they 
exclaimed:  "Not  paralyzed!  He  can't  move  a 
muscle.  Kheumatism !  He  has  not  a  symptom. 
Nourishment !  He  will  die  if  you  attempt  to  feed 
him." 

1  then  invited  them  into  the  chamber,  and,  by 
much  persuasion,  induced  the  patient  to  change 
the  position  of  each  limb  by  an  effort  of  will, 
pointed  out  the  symptoms  of  rheumatism  w^hich 
were  present,  and  told  them  that  ''if  a  patient 
who  had  been  purged  with  salts  and  fed  exclu- 
sively on  a  soup  made  of  vegetables  for  two  weeks 
did  not  require  nourishment,  I  knew  nothing 
about  medicine."  They,  then,  to  a  man,  appar- 
ently changed  their  views,  agreed  with  me  en- 
tirely, and,  promising  that  my  plan  of  treatment 
should  be  faithfully  pursued,  invited  me  to  meet 
them  again  at  the  same  hour  on  the  succeeding 
day.  1  was  triumphant;  I  thought  my  victory 
complete;  and  I  believed  that  I  had  saved  the 
Pasha  from  the  grave  to  which  his  medical  attend- 
ants were  fast  consigning  him. 

On  the  following  day  I  repaired  to  the  pasha's 
house,  ready  for  the  "consultation,"  and  believing 
that  I  should  be  able  to  point  out  decided  evidenced 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  447 

of  improvement  in  his  condition.  Judge  therefore 
of  my  suprise  when  I  discovered  not  a  sign  of  life 
about  the  premises,  when  no  doctors  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance and  when  I  ascertained  that  the  invalid 
and  his  entire  family  had  been  spirited  away,  no 
one  could  tell  me  whither. 

The  pretended  change  of  views  among  the  doctors, 
the  proposition  to  meet  them  in  another  "consul- 
tation," and  the  removal  and  concealment  of  the 
patient,  were  all  parts  of  a  cunning  ruse  to  get  rid 
of  me,  and  to  treat  the  pasha  according  to  their  own 
ideas.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  appealed  to  the  min- 
ister of  war;  for  my  confreres  had  forestalled  me, 
and  convinced  his  excellency  the  course  pursued 
was_  necessary  for  the  invalid's  safety — that  my 
plan  of  treatment  involved  his  certain  death,  and 
justified  the  employment  of  the  most  extreme 
measures  to  keep  him  out  of  my  hands.  Such  is 
medical  etiquette  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile.  This 
was  their  day  of  triumph — mine  came  afterward. 

A  short  time  subsequent  to  this  event  I  was 
summoned  hurriedly  to  a  '^consultation"  at  the 
house  of  Kassim  Pasha — the  patient  being  no  less 
a  person  than  the  minister  of  war  himself.  He 
was  suffering  from  hernia,  the  intestine  having 
descended  into  the  scrotum,  and  become  incarce- 
rated there.  I  advised  that  he  should  be  put  under 
the  influence  of  chloroform,  that  taxis  should  then 
be  attempted,  and  that  the  operation  of  herniotomy 
should  be  instantly  performed  if  all  other  means 
failed  to  effect  reduction.  My  advice  was  rejected 
of  course,  and  I  immediately  retired.  Three  days 
afterward  I  was  again  summoned,  to  find  that  re- 
duction had  not  been  effected  and  that  symptoms  of 
strangulation — stercoraceoiis  vomiting  and  great 
depression — had  manifested  themselves. 

After  a  thorough  examination  of  the  case  I  be- 


448  A  doctor's  experiences 

came  convinced  that  the  incarcerated  intestine  was 
not  materially  injured,  and  that  much  of  the  de- 
pression was  due  not  so  niQch  to  the  disease  as  to 
the  injections  of  tobacco,  which  had  been  liberally 
employed  to  induce  relaxation,  and  I  boldly  declared 
that  the  pasha  could  be  saved,  as  desperate  as  his 
condition  seemed.  Having  stimulated  him  freely 
with  brandy  and  water — which  the  natives  con- 
sidered unholy  treatment — I  had  the  gratification 
of  seeing  some  reaction  established  ;  and  I  deter- 
mined to  administer  chloroform,  and  then  either  to 
reduce  the  tumor  by  taxis,  or  to  perform  heriotomy^ 
as  the  circumstances  required.  I  found  however 
great  difficulty  in  inducing  any  medical  man  to 
assist  me.  They  all  retired,  and  declared  that  they 
would  have  "oothingto  do  with  the  murder  of  the 
Pasha."  The  hareem,  through  the  chief  eunuch, 
insisted  that  I  should  not  proceed  until  the  private 
physician  of  the  Khedive  * — a  Frenchman — had 
given  his  consent.  He  was  accordingly  sent  for, 
and  asked  what  he  thought  of  the  measure  which 
I  had  proposed  ?  He  replied  that  he  ^'  believed  the 
pasha  would  die  inevitably,  but  was  in  favor  of 
permitting  me  to  proceed,  as  every  man  was  en- 
titled to  his  chance."  I  then  requested  him  to  aid 
me  to  the  extent  of  administering  chloroform .  This 
he  agreed  to  do  on  condition  that  I  would  assume 
all  the  responsibility  of  the  case,  and  give  him  time 
to  dispatch  amessenger  to  the  Khedive  to  inform  him 
upon  what  terms  he  had  consented  to  aid  me.  In  the 
presence  of  all  the  principal  pashas,  beys,  and 
officials  of  the  court,  the  minister  was  removed 
from  his  bed  and  placed  upon  a  mattress  in  the 
middle  of  the  room.  None  of  the  female  portion  of 
the  household  were  present  ;  but  they  were  repre- 


*  See  Appendix  (0). 


i 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  449 

sented  by  the  chief  eunuch,  who  stood  at  the  feet  of 
the  invalid,  shouting,  ^'  Allah  !  Allah  !  Allah  ! 
Inshallah  !  Inshallah  !  Inshallah  !  while  from 
the  latticed  hareem  in  the  rear  there  came  con- 
tinually that  peculiar  wail  which  seems  to  form  the 
principal  feature  in  the  mourning  of  the  East. 
With  the  exception  of  the  French  physician,  all  the 
surgeons  deserted  the  chamber  and  stood  in  the 
little  garden  outside  of  the  house — some  praying 
that  the  sick  man  might  be  saved,  but  the  majority 
cursing  the  stranger  who  had  the  temerity  to  un- 
dertake that  which  they  had  pronounced  impossible. 

At  this  moment  an  American  officer  of  high 
position  took  me  aside  and  said:  '^Dr.  Warren, 
consider  well  what  you  are  undertaking  ;  success 
means  honor  and  fortune  for  you  in  this  country, 
while  failure  means  ruin  to  you  and  injury  to 
those  who  are  identified  with  you." 

I  replied :  ''I  thank  you  for  your  caution,  but  I 
was  taught  by  my  father  to  disregard  all  personal 
considerations  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  to 
think  only  of  the  interests  of  my  patients.  I  shall, 
therefore,  do  that  which  my  professional  duty  re- 
quires, and  let  the  consequences  take  care  of  them- 
selves." 

Having  made  all  the  preparations  necessary  to 
perform  herniotomy,  should  that  operation  become 
necessary,  I  boldly  administered  chloroform,  al- 
though the  patient  was  in  a  state  of  great  depres- 
sion. To  my  delight  angesthesia  was  promptly  de- 
veloped^ while  the  circulation  improved  with  every 
inspiration — just  as  I  had  previously  observed  in 
some  cases  of  shock  upon  the  battle-field.  Confid- 
ing the  administration  of  the  chloroform  to  the 
French  physician,  I  then  proceeded  to  examine  the 
tumor  and  to  attempt  its  reduction.  I  found  an 
immense  hydrocele,  and,  by  the  side  of  it,  a  hernia 
29 


450  A  doctor's  experiences 

of  no  unusual  dimensions,  which,  by  a  rather  forci- 
ble manipulation,  I  completely  reduced  after  a 
few  moments  of  effort.  By  this  time  the  surgeons^ 
unable  to  restrain  their  curiosity,  had  entered  the 
room  and  crowded  around  the  couch  of  the  sick 
man,  anxiously  awaiting  the  failure  which  they 
had  so  blatantly  predicted.  Turning  to  Mehemit 
Ali  Pasha^  the  professor  of  surgery  in  the  medical 
school  of  Cairo,  I  said  to  him  :  ^'  The  hernia  is  re- 
duced, as  you  can  determine  by  pushing  your  finger 
into  the  external  ring." 

''Excuse  me,"  he  said,  in  the  most  supercilious 
manner,  ''you  have  undertaken  to  cure  Kassim 
Pasha,  and  I  can  give  you  no  help  in  the  matter." 

My  French  friend  immediately  introduced  his 
finger  into  thering  and  said:  "^G-entlemen, he  needs 
no  help  from  any  one  ;  the  hernia  is  reduced,  and 
the  pasha  is  saved." 

The  doctors  slunk  away  utterly  discomfited,  the 
eunuchs,  pashas,  beys,  and  officers  uttered  loud 
cries  of  "  Hamdallah !  Hamdallah !  Kismet!  Kis- 
met! Kismet!"  and  the  hareem  in  the  rear,  catch- 
ing the  inspiration  of  the  scene,  sent  up  a  shout  of 
joy  which  sounded  like  the  war-whoop  of  a  tribe  of 
Indians. 

In  a  moment  I  was  seized  by  the  chief  eunuch, 
embraced  in  the  most  impressive  manner,  and 
kissed  on  either  cheek — an  example  which  was  im- 
mediately followed  by  a  number  of  those  present — 
and  I  found  myself  the  most  famous  man  in  Egypt. 
The  Pasha  at  once  had  a  letter  addressed  to  the 
Khedive  narrating  the  circumstances,  and  asking 
that  I  might  be  decorated  and  made  a  bey.  His 
highness  sent  for  me,  thanked  me  warmly  for  hav- 
ing saved  the  life  of  his  favorite  minister,  and 
stated  that  he  had  ordered  that  I  should  be  made  a 
bey,  and  leceive  the  decoration  of  the  Medidjieh. 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  451 

The  liareem  presented  me  with  a  beautiful  gold 
watch  and  chain  ;  my  house  was  thronged  for  sev- 
eral days  afterward  with  the  highest  dignitaries  of 
the  country,  who  came  to  thank  and  congratulate 
me  ;  and  I  immediately  secured  an  immense  prac- 
tice, including  every  incurable  case  in  Cairo. 

To  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  and  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  trickery  on  the  part  of  my  con- 
freres^ I  took  up  my  residence  in  his  palace,  carry- 
ing William  with  me,  and,  for  two  Aveeks,  never 
permitted  the  Pasha' to  be  out  of  the  sight  of  one 
of  us,  except  when  his  wife  visited  him_,  as  I  knew 
that  my  baffled  and  jealous  colleagues  would  hesi- 
tate at  nothing  to  rob  me  of  the  fruits  of  my  vic- 
tory. 

Kassim  Pasha  was  a  Greek  by  birth,  having 
been  captured  when  a  boy  and  sold  into  slavery. 
He  subsequently  embraced  the  Mohammedan  faith, 
and,  by  the  force  of  his  will  and  intellect  rose  to 
be  the  minister  of  war  of  Egypt,  and,  next  to  the 
Khedive,  the  most  important  man  in  the  country. 
He  had  but  one  wife,  but  his  hareem  was  filled  with 
female  slaves,  twelve  of  whom  waited  on  him  con- 
tinually during  his  illness,  and  were  rewarded 
afterward  by  being  given  in  marriage  to  twelve 
young  men  selected  from  the  retinue  of  the  Pasha, 
each  receiving  a  handsome  dotoxi  her  wedding  day. 

When  the  wife  visited  him — as  she  did  twice 
daily — I  was  conducted  into  an  adjoining  chamber, 
and  was  never  permitted  to  see  her,  though  she 
sent  a  messenger  every  morning  to  inquire  after 
my  health,  and  to  present  her  thanks  and  compli- 
ments. She  subsequently  became  quite  intimate 
with  the  female  members  of  my  family,  who  assured 
me  that  she  was  a  charming  w^oman,  handsome  in 
person,  refined  in  manners^  devoted  to  her  husband, 
and  fitted  to  grace  any  court  in  the  world.     Un- 


452  A  doctor's  experiences 

fortunately  they  had  no  children,  and  the  heir  ap- 
parent of  their  titles  and  estates  was  a  young  scape- 
grace named  Askalon-Bey,  the  nephew  of  the 
Pasha,  who,  though  a  Christian  by  birth  and  edu- 
cation, had  turned  Mussulman  for  the  sake  of  the 
inheritance.  He  spent  his  days  in  idleness  and  dis- 
sipation, much  to  the  sorrow  of  his  relations,  who 
had  sought  him  in  his  own  country  and  brought 
him  to  Egypt,  as  a  solace  and  support  in  their  de- 
clining years. 

Kassim  Pasha  recovered  perfectly,  and  a  short 
time  afterward  was  made  governor  of  Cairo,  in 
order  to  make  room  in  the  war  office  for  Houssein 
Pasha,  the  second  son  of  the  Khedive,  and  a  young 
man  of  much  ability  and  promise. 

During  the  entire  period  of  my  residence  in  Egypt 
I  found  Kassim  a  warm  friend  and  a  powerful  pro- 
tector, and  I  am  convinced  that  but  for  him  my 
bones  would  be  to-day  bleaching  in  the  sands  of 
the  desert  or  moldering  in  some  jungle  of  Central 
Africa. 

Shortly  after  my  departure  from  Cairo  he  was 
seized  with  an  apoplectic  fit,  and  died  after  a  few 
hours,  without  recovering  consciousness.  Moham- 
medan as  he  was,  there  beat  a  kind  and  loyal  heart 
in  his  bosom,  and  in  the  '^  great  day"  of  final 
judgment,  it  seems  to  me,  he  will  have  as  good 
a  show  for  favor  and  forgiveness  as  some  of  the  so- 
called  saints  in  the  calendar .   ' ' Requiescat  in  pace. " 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  453 


LETTER  XXXI. 


EGYPTIAN  EXPERIEXCES. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Among  those  who  subsequently  fell  into  my 
hands  as  patients  was  the  aforesaid  assistant  min- 
ister of  war,  who  was  so  near  death's  door  from  the 
treatment  which  he  had  received  from  his  doctors 
that  I  undertook  his  case  with  many  apprehensions 
for  the  result,  and  only  on  condition  that  none  of 
the  "consultants"  should  visit  him  again.  T  am 
pleased  to  be  able  to  state  that  after  a  long  struggle 
he  "  pulled  through,"  and  manifested  his  gratitude 
by  a  handsome  present  in  Egyptian  pounds. 

I  was  also  called  to  a  pasha — one  of  the  wealthiest 
and  best-connected  in  Egypt — who  had  been  for  a 
long  time  insane.  As  he  was  suffering  from  gen- 
eral paralysis  there  was  nothiug  to  be  done  for 
him,  but  his  case  proved  very  interesting,  as  I 
learned  from  it  the  peculiar  ideas  of  the  people  of 
that  country  in  regard  to  persons  of  deficient  or 
defective  intellect.  The  popular  belief  is  that  an 
idiotic  or  an  insane  man  is  the  special  favorite  of 
God,  and  that  his  soul  had  been  translated  to 
heaven  and  his  body  left  behind  for  the  special 
care  and  veneration  of  his  friends  and  family.  He 
is,  therefore,  overwhelmed  with  kindnesses,  and, 
in  fact,  he  is  worshiped  as  a  saint  by  all  around 
him.  The  strangest  part  of  the  superstition  in  re- 
gard to  these  poor  unfortunates  is,  that  relations 
with  them  are  regarded    as  an.  infallible  cure  for 


454  A  doctor's  experiences 

barrenness  in  women,  and  that  they  are  ipso  facto 
hallowed  in  the  sight  of  men  and  heaven.  It  is 
not  believed  that  conception  is  the  result  of  such 
an  embrace,  but  that  the  physical  condition  which 
interferes  with  the  husband's  aspirations  is  re- 
moved b}^  it,  and  the  way  prepared  for  legitimate 
impregnation.  When  it  is  born  in  mind  that  the 
state  of  pregnancy  is  esteemed  one  of  special  honor 
and  privilege — that  no  wife  can  be  divorced  during 
its  existence,  and  no  slave  can  be  sold  who  has 
given  birth  to  a  child — it  is  easy  to  understand  the 
estimation  in  which  a  lunatic*  is  held  in  that 
country. 

Many  a  lazy  and  impecunious  wretch  among  the 
lower  classes  takes  advantage  of  this  superstition  to 
affect  insanity  and  to  assume  the  saintly  role,  so 
that  he  may  be  clothed,  fed  and  tenderly  nursed 
by  the  women  of  his  neighborhood  for  the  remain- 
der of  his  days.  Indeed,  lunacy  is  about  as  "short 
a  road  ' '  to  ease  and  independence  as  can  be  con- 
ceived of,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  it  should  be 
followed  as  a  vocation  under  the  circumstances. 

I  had  quite  an  amusing  adventure  with  Amein 
Pasha,  who  was  minister  of  war  under  Abbas 
Pasha, t  and  one  of  the  principal  instruments  of  his 
cruelty  and  oppression.  He  lived  in  a  magnificent 
palace,  on  the  island  of  Khoda,  and,  though  he  had 
been  blind  for  twenty  years,  he  sent  for  me  and 
ordered  me-  to  cure  him.  I  told  him  frankly  that 
I  could  not  relieve  him,  but  he  insisted  on  treat- 
ment, and  I  was  compelled  to  gratify  his  wishes, 
and  to  do  something  for  his  eyes,  though  both  pu- 
pils and  retinas  were  absolutely  insensible  to  light. 
While  treating  him,  his  youngest  daughter,  a  beau- 
tiful girl  of    sixteen,   was  attacked  with    typhoid 


^See  Appendix  (P).  f^^^ee  Apx^endix  (Q). 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  455 

fever,  and  as  he  loved  her  dearly  and  regarded 
me  as  inspired — the  embodiment  of  Kismet* — he 
placed  her  under  my  professional  charge.  She 
fortunately  recovered  after  several  vi^eeks  of  severe 
illness,  and  though  I  did  not  restore  his  sight,  I 
necessarily  had  a  large  medical  bill  against  him. 
When  the  first  of  the  year  arrived,  I  sent  him  his 
bill,  with  a  polite  note  calling  his  attention  to  it, 
and  requesting  its  payment.  To  my  astonishment, 
]jis  ivakeel  appeared  at  my  house  on  the  next  day, 
the  bearer  ot"  an  indignant  protest  from  his  master 
against  being  "  dunned  as  a  fellah,"  and  the  state- 
ment that  my  charge  was  excessive,  as  he  could 
prove  by  every  slave  on  the  premises  that  I  had 
not  paid  more  than  half  a  dozen  visits  during  the 
year.  I  was  in  a  state  of  utter  perplexity,  and 
seeking  James  Sanua,  my  Arabic  teacher,  I  stated 
the  matter  to  him  and  requested  an  explanation. 
He  informed  me  that  I  had  committed  a  great 
breach  of  etiquette  in  sending  a  bill  to  a  pasha,  as 
it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  country  to  do  so,  and 
that  every  man  of  position  considered  it  his  privi- 
lege to  resist  anything  like  a  '^ claim"  against  him. 
I  therefore  had  a  polite  note  written  to  his  excel- 
lency, expressing  great  regret  at  the  mistake  which 
had  been  made  in  sending  a  bill  '^to  so  distin- 
guished a  person,"  and  assuring  him  that  he  owed 
me  nothing,  but  that  I  considered  it  a  great  honor 
to  prescribe  for  him  and  his  family.  Some  weeks 
afterward  his  ivakeel  paid  another  visit  to  my 
house,  bringing  with  him  a  larger  sum  than  I  had 
originally  demanded,  which  he  begged  me  to  ac- 
cept as  a  cadeau  from  his  master,  ''  who  was  very 
grateful   for  my  kind    attentions  to    him  and    his 


*See  Appendix  (R). 


456  A  doctor's  experiences 

daughter — whose  life  he  believed  T  had  saved,  hy 
the  help  of  Allah." 

I  remembered  this  lesson,  and  never  again  sent 
a  medical  bill  to  a  pasha,  and  though  in  one  in- 
stance the  only  recompense  that  I  received  for 
several  weeks'  attendance  was  a  dried  beef  tongue y 
I  was,  as  a  general  rule,  liberally  rewarded  for  my 
professional  services. 

I  was  sitting  alone  in  my  office,  dreadfully  de- 
pressed in  spirits  because  of  the  death  of  our  baby, 
and  only  partially  recovered  from  the  attack  of 
ophthalmia,  when  a  courier  entered,  and  informed 
me  that  Houssein  Pasha,  the  minister  of  war,  de- 
sired to  see  me  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 
Ordering  my  carriage,  and  tying  a  handkerchief 
over  my  suffering  eyes,  I  hurried  to  the  Citadel 
and  presented  myself  to  the  prime  minister.  He 
received  me  with  great  kindness,  commiserated 
with  me  on  the  loss  of  my  child  and  the  pain 
which  I  had  suffered,  and  informed  me  that  he  had 
something  to  communicate  which  would  ^'  gladden 
my  heart,"  and  make  me  '^forget  my  sorrows." 
I  thanked  him  warmly,  and  inquired  what  it  was 
that  he  had  to  communicate.  He  said  that  he  and 
his  father  had  had  their  eyes  on  me  ever  since  I 
saved  the  life  of  Kassim  Pasha,  and  seeing  that  I 
was  faithful  in  the  performance  of  my  duty,  they 
had  determined  to  promote  me  to  the  position  p 
Hakim  BasJii  GaJiadeih,  or,  in  other  words,  to 
make  me  the  chief  surgeon  of  the  department  of 
ivar.  My  heart  gave  one  great  bound,  and  the 
tears  came  unbidden  into  my  eyes,  for  the  position] 
was  the  highest  that  a  medical  man  could  attain  in 
Egypt,  and  my  elevation  to  it  was  the  greatest 
compliment  that  his  highness  could  pay  to  any 
one.  With  a  bosom  overflowing  with  gratified 
pride  and   a   sense   of  supreme   obligation,    I   ac- 


11^   THREE  CONTINENTS.  45 T 

cepted  the  promotion,  and  assured  him  that,  if 
loyalty  to  him  and  to  the  Khedive,  and  devotion  to 
the  duties  of  the  office,  could  constitute  a  recom- 
pense for  the  kind  consideration  which  had  sug- 
gested my  selection,  there  should  be  no  default  of 
payment  upon  my  part. 

He  then  went  on  to  say  that  venality  had  been 
the  curse  of  Egypt,  and  that  it  had  specially  per- 
vaded the  medical  staff  of  the  army,  prompting  to 
the  rejection  of  the  healthiest  recruits  ;  to  the  fur- 
loughing  or  discharge  of  the  most  vigorous  sol- 
diers, and  to  the  retention  upon  the  muster  rolls  of 
many  who  were  physically  incapable  of  performing 
military  duty.  He  informed  me,  likewise,  that  it 
was  the  Khedive's  purpose  to  add  about  twenty 
thousand  picked  men  to  the  army  ;*  that  he  de- 
sired me  to  examine  personally  every  recruit 
rejected  by  the  native  surgeons,  and  he  should 
order  before  me  every  soldier  who  had  been  fur- 
loughed  or  discharged  within  two  years,  and  all 
who  had  served  for  more  than  fifteen  years,  in 
order  that  I  might  restore  to  the  army  such  as 
were  in  physical  condition  to  perform  duty,  or  dis- 
charge from  it  the  really  infirm  and  incompetent. 
''All  I  ask  of  you,"  he  added^  '^  is  to  do  this  duty 
with  the  same  honesty  and  fidelity  as  have  charac- 
terized your  conduct  in  all  other  regards  since  your 
arrival  in  Egypt." 

I  obeyed  his  instructions  to  the  letter,  subjecting 
every  rejected  recruit,  furloughed  or  discharged 
soldier  and  dilapidated  veteran  to  the  most  search- 
ing examination — with  the  result  of  exposing 
many  a  case  of  "bribery  and  corruption,"  and  of 
materially  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  army. 
The  cunning  employed  by  those  who   sought  to 


See  Appendix  (S). 


458  A  doctor's  experiences 

evade  the  service  surpassed  anytliiug  that  I  had 
ever  conceived  of,  and  it  was  only  by  the  most  critical 
investigation,  and  liberal  use  of  chloroform  as  an 
anesthetic,  that  I  was  enabled  to  distinguish  be- 
tween cases  of  malingering  and  of  genuine  disease. 
It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing,  also,  for  them  to 
sacrifice  an  eye  or  a  finger,  in  the  vain  hope  of 
securing  exemption,  although,  since  the  days  of 
Mehemet  Ali — who  formed  regiments  of  one-eyed 
and  four-fingered  men — such  mutilations  are  not 
regarded  in  Egypt  as  constituting  veritable  disa- 
bilities, while  they  never  fail  to  invite  severe  pun- 
ishments. 

The  veterans  excited  my  most  profound  pity. 
When  too  old  or  infirm  to  bear  arms,  and  not  rich 
enough  to  purchase  discharges,  it  had  been  the 
custom  to  consign  them  to  the  quarries  and  to  treat 
them  as  criminals  for  the  rest  of  their  days.  Could 
you  have  seen  them  when  they  were  first  brought 
before  me,  with  their  unkept  and  matted  beards, 
their  bent  and  emaciated  frames,  their  sightless  or 
still  inflamed  eyes  and  their  torn  and  dirty  cloth- 
ing— the  very  illustration  of  prolonged  sufi'ering 
and  of  utter  despair — your  heart  would  have  bled 
for  them  as  mine  did.  And  then  could  you  have 
witnessed  the  change  which  came  over  them,  when, 
from  the  lips  of  the  dreaded  and  hated  Christian  there 
came  the  words :  ''  Let  these  men  be  discharged  and 
sent  to  their  homes,"  you  would  have  esteemed  it  a 
privilege  to  be  Hakim  Baslii  Gahadeih,  and  the 
representative  of  all  the  power  and  absolutism  of 
the  great  Khedive. 

I  felt  that  I  was  at  once  doing  God's  service  and 
strengthening  the  hands  of  the  government  w^ien 
I  discharged  these  men  from  the  army,  and  I  did 
it  wdth  so  liberal  a  hand  that  the  work  in  the  quar- 
ries was  actually  suspended  until  a  supply  of  veri- 


IX    THREE    CONTIXENTS.  459 

table  convicts  could  be  had  to  take  the  places  of 
these  old  soldiers,  many  of  whom  were  covered 
with  the  wounds  which  they  had  received  in  carry- 
ing the  standard  of  Mehemet  Ali  to  the  gates  of 
•Stamboul. 

Their  Hamdallalis  still  ring  pleasantly  in  my 
ears,  and  if  it  should  ever  be  my  fortune  to  find  a 
place  in  the  better  land,  I  shall  believe  that  the 
prayers  of  these  stricken  and  forsaken  old  men 
helped  to  purchase  it  for  me.  Nothing  that  I  have 
ever  done  in  life  has  afforded  me  more  satisfaction, 
more  real  and  enduring  pleasure,  than  the  libera- 
tion of  these  despairing  veterans  from  the  life  of 
wretchedness  to  which  their  age,  their  infirmities 
^nd  their  j^overty  had  consigned  them. 

Before  those  days  there  were  but  two  avenues  of 
escape  for  the  unfortunate  wretch  whose  evil  genius 
had  recorded  his  name  upon  the  muster-roll  of  the 
Egyptian  army,  viz :  through  the  golden  gate  and 
througlj  the  portals  of  the  tomb,  by  the  purchase 
of  his  discharge  or  the  ''handing  in  of  his  chips,"  in 
mining  camp  phraseology. 

Many  indirect  attempts  were  made  to  bribe  me* 
and  finally  two  officers  under  orders  for  the  Sou- 
dan came  into  my  office  and  proposed  to  pay  me 
£100  each  for  a  certificate  of  disability.  I  pre- 
tended not  to  understand  their  propositions,  and 
instructed  Achmed  to  engage  them  in  conversation 
while  I  hurried  to  the  prime  minister  to  inform  him 
of  what  had  occurred.  He  ordered  their  immediate 
arrest,  but  when  I  returned  with  the  guard  to  seize 
them  they  had  disappeared  and  could  not  be  found. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks  the  prime  minis- 
ter informed  me  that  he  was  in  trouble  ;  that  rely- 
ing upon  the  data  which  I  had  furnished,  he    had 


"See  Appendix  (T). 


460  A  doctor's  experiences 

caused  the  arrest  of  an  officer  en  route  to  Khartoum 
for  "'  offering  a  bribe  to  the  chief  surgeon  of  the 
war  department,"  but  that  the  supposed  culprit 
had  protested  his  innocence,  and  had  appealed  to 
the  Khedive  for  protection,  making  out  so  strong  a 
case  of  alibi  as  to  convince  his  highness  that  an  in- 
nocent man  had  been  confounded  with  a  guilty 
one.  I  relieved  him  somewhat  by  again  describing 
the  offender,  offering  to  take  the  entire  burden  of 
responsibility  upon  my  shoulders,  and  assuring  him 
that  both  my  dragoman  and  I  could  identify  the 
real  offender  at  a  glance. 

With  great  difficulty  he  induced  his  father  to 
withhold  the  order  for  the  officer's  release,  and  to 
issue  another  commanding  him  to  be  brought  to 
Cairo  and  confronted  with  me.  The  prince  was  in 
a  state  of  chronic  anxiety  until  the  arrival  of  the 
individual  in  question,  but  he  acted  with  great 
fairness  toward  the  accused,  by  placing  him  in  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  officers,  and  calling  upon  me 
to  indicate  the  guilty  party,  without  furnishing  the 
slightest  guide  to  his  identification. 

Neither  Achmed  nor  I  had  the  least  difficulty  in 
pointing  out  the  real  offender,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing his  oaths,  protestations  and  pretended  proofs 
of  an  alibi,  he  was  adjudged  guilty  by  the  Khedive, 
and  punished  according  to  his  deserts,  i.  e.,  was 
reduced  to  the  ranks  and  sent  to  the  Soudan. 

Shortly  after  this  incident,  and  just  when  I  con- 
sidered myself  most  firmly  established  in  my  place^ 
an  event  occurred  which  showed  the  uncertainty 
of  things  in  Cairo,  and  demonstrated  that  I  had 
both  bitter  enemies  and  strong  friends  at  court. 
One  night  at  a  late  hour  there  was  a  ring  at  my 
bell,  and  as  the  servants  had  retired  I  answered  it 
in  person.  To  my  astonishment,  I  found  a  high 
official  at  the  door,  from  whose  excited   manner   I 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  461 

at  once  augured  evil  tidings,  and  when  lie  invited 
nie  to  drive  on  the  Shoubra  road  asjie  had  '^  an  im- 
portant communication  to  make,"  I  felt  that  a 
crisis  in  my  fate  had  arrived.  I  joined  him  at  once, 
and  so  soon  as  we  were  fairly  in  the  country,  he 
said  to  me:  ''  I  have  something  to  tell  you  which  I 
was  afraid  to  utter  ''  within  walls."  I  am  just 
from  the  palace,  where  I  have  learned  that  an  or- 
der will  be  issued  to-morrow  assigning  you  to  the 
expedition  about  to  start  for  Darfpur,  and  I  have 
come  to  inform  you  of  it,  in  order  that  you  may 
escape  the  service  if  possible." 

'^ToDarfour?  Can  it  be  possible?  I  entered 
the  service  with  a  distinct  understanding  that  I 
should  reside  in  Cairo.  I  care  not  so  much  for  the 
risk  to  myself  as  for  the  separation  from  my  family. 
What  has  the  prince  minister  to  say  on  the  sub- 
ject?" 

•'  The  order  will  certainly  be  issued  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  had  it  from  the  Khedive  himself.  The 
histor}^  of  the  matter  is  about  this  :  His  highness 
having  been  induced  to  believe  that  Darfour  is  rich 
in  minerals,  has  for  some  time  been  anxious  to  send 
a  competent  man  there  to  investigate  them.  Your 
name  was  saggested  to  him  a  few  weeks  since,  but 
the  prince  minister  having  opposed  it  warmly  upon 
the  ground  of  the  value  of  your  services  as  chief 
surgeon  of  his  department,  the  plan  was  abandoned. 
Since  then  he  has  been  induced  to  reconsider  the 
matter  by  the  representation  that  you  alone  can  be 
trusted  with  the  task  ;  that  your  assistant  can 
carry  on  the  work  of  your  office  until  your  return, 
and  that  you  can  complete  the  examination  and 
return  within  six  months  without  detriment  to 
yourself,  and,  regardless  of  the  protest  of  the  min- 
ister of  war,  he  has  finally  concluded  to  send  you. 
I  assure  you,  my  friend,  that  it  is  a  settled  fact — 


462  A  doctor's  experiences 

tlie  order  will  assuredly  be  issued  to-morrow,  and 
you  must  be  prepared  to  meet  it,  I  only  wish  the- 
Khedive  thoroughly  understood  the  situation  and 
thought  less  of  you  and  more  of  some  one  else — 
some  younger  man  better  able  to  stand  a  journey 
to  that  pestilential  region,  which  he  has  been  made- 
to  believe  is  a  second  California." 

I  took  in  the  whole  situation  at  a  glance.  I  saw 
that  some  craft}^  enemy  had  availed  himself  of  the- 
Khedive's  confidence  in  me  to  induce  him  to  re- 
quire a  service  which  must  either  be  accepted  at 
the  hazard  of  my  life  or  declined  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  being  dismissed  from  the  army.  In  a 
word,  I  realized  that  I  had  to  meet  one  of  the  most 
serious  questions  of  my  life — to  baffle  an  intrigue 
which  had  been  elaborated  with  consummate  skill 
for  the  purpose  of  forcing  me  to  decide  between  the 
alternatives  of  going  to  my  death  in  Darfour  or  of 
returning  in  disgrace  to  America. 

"The  case  is  a  desperate  one  and  demands  des- 
perate measures,"  I  remarked.      "  This  separation 
from  my  wife  and  family — this  leaving  them   in 
Egypt  unprotected  and  friendless — will  kill  me  of 
itself.     What  would  you  advise,  doctor?" 

''  Yes,  it  is  a  serious  matter,"  he  answered,  ''  for, 
in  my  judgment,  you  will  never  return  from  Dar- 
four— you  will  never  see  j^our  wife  and  children 
again.  At  your  age,  and  with  your  susceptibility 
to  malaria — which  the  Khedive  knows  nothing 
about,  unfortunately — you  will  die  on  the  journey. 
If  I  were  in  your  ]3lace  I  would  resign  to-night 
through  the  American  consul  and  place  myself 
under  his  protection  to-morrow." 

'^Alas,my  friend, you  know  nothing  about  Amer- 
ican politics.  Xine-tenths  of  those  who  are  now  in 
office  were  appointed  when  sectional  hatred  was  at  a> 
premium,  and  they  have  not  yet  learned  to  regard  a 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  463 

quondam  rebel  as  an  American  citizen.  The  consul ^ 
though  a  very  amiable  man,  is  a  strong  partisan, 
and  be  would  no  more  join  issue  with  the  Khedive 
on  my  account  than  he  would  throw  himself  into 
the  Nile.     There  is  no  hope  from  that  direction." 

"Then  really,  my  dear  doctor,  I  do  not  know  what 
to  suggest.  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to  serve 
you.  I  have  warned  you  at  the  hazard  of  my 
position  and  perhaps  of  my  life.  Go  home  and 
consult  with  your  wife,  and  it  maybe  that  you  and 
she  together  can  think  out  some  plan  which  will 
enable  you  to  escape  the  dangers  of  the  coming 
morning." 

"  Good  night,  ray  kind  friend.  We  are  not  far 
from  my  house  and  I  will  get  out  and  walk  home  so 
as  to  avoid  observation.  Be  assured  that  you  leave 
me  with  a  heavy  heart,  but  one  filled  with  grati- 
tude to  you  for  what  you  have  done  and  risked  in 
my  behalf.  I  will  devote  the  remainder  of  the 
night  to  reflection,  and  with  God's  help  I  hope  to 
find  a  way  out  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
which  surround  me.  May  heaven  remember  you 
for  your  kindness  to  me  and  to  mine." 

Neither  my  wife  nor  I  slept  that  night,  but  we 
spent  its  long  and  lonely  hours  in  consulting  on 
the  situation,  and  in  devising  a  method  for  my  es- 
cape. Before  the  morning  dawned  we  had  elabor- 
ated a  plan  by  which  we  hoped  to  thwart  the  ma- 
chinations of  those  who  had  plotted  for  my  destruc- 
tion, and  were  rejoicing  over  the  blow  which  was 
to  fall  without  warning,  as  they  supposed,  on  my 
devoted  head,  when  the  war  office  opened  that 
day. 

Before  the  sun  rose  I  sent  the  ever-faithful 
William,  with  my  carriage,  to  the  house  of  Doctor 
Kassim  EfiPendi — the  second  medical  officer  of  the 
war  department — praying  him   to  come   instantly 


.464  A    DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

to  my  house  ;  and  on  his  arrival  I  begged  him  to 
examine  and  to  prescribe  for  my  eye,  which  was 
much  inflamed  and  very  painful.  Flattered  im- 
measurably by  this  mark  of  confidence  on  the  part 
of  his  chief,  he  complied  with  my  request  in  the 
most  elaborate  manner,  recommending  among 
other  measures  that  I  should  remain  in  bed  and  in 
a  darkened  room  for  some  time  to  come.  "  Since 
you  condemn  me  to  remain  in  bed,  Doctor,  and 
thus  render  it  impossible  for  me  to  attend  to  my 
office,  I  must  ask  you  to  take  charge  of  it  until  I 
am  convalescent,"  I  remarked  in  the  most  friendly 
manner. 

"  Certainly,  excellence,  I  will  take  great  pleas- 
ure in  representing  you,  and  you  may  rest  assured 
that  everything  shall  be  conducted  as  you  desire," 
was  his  flattered  response. 

''Well,  that  being  settled  to  my  satisfaction,  I 
must  ask  another  favor  of  you,"  said  I.  "It  is  my 
rule  always  to  be  in  my  office  when  the  Prince  ar- 
rives, and  official  business  begins.  It  is  important 
that  you  shall  be  equally  punctual,  and  in  order  that 
you  may  be  there  in  time  and  altogether  e7i  regie, 
I  must  ask  you  to  place  ray  name  on  the  ''  sick  re- 
port "  and  to  hand  it  in  be/ore  the  minister  arrives, 
so  that  it  may  be  the  first  official  paper  acted  on 
to-day.  William  and  my  carriage  are  at  your  dis- 
posal so  that  there  may  be  no  possibility  of  delay 
in  this  matter,  as  promptitude  is  as  important  to 
YOU  as  to  me." 

"  You  may  count  on  me,  excellence.  The  pre- 
sentation of  the  '  sick  report '  shall  be  the  first 
thing  done  at  the  Citadel  to-day,  and  I  will  be  in 
your  office,  and  at  work,  when  the  Prince  arrives," 
he  answered  with  enthusiasm,  as  he  started  off"  on 
the  mission,  never  dreaming  that  an  order  was  in 
existence  which  only  required  the  signature  of  the 


IJs^   THREE   CONTINENTS.  465 

minister  to  make  him  the  master  of  the  office  for 
six  months  to  come,  and,  perhaps,  for  the  remainder 
of  his  days.  He  kept  his  promise,  and  I  was  re- 
ported as  being  "  sick  with  ophthalmia  and  incajDa- 
ble  of  performing  military  duty  "  before  the  order 
sending  me  to  Darfour  had  been  signed  and  issued. 

The  "  sick  report"  is  respected  in  the  service  of 
every  civilized  nation — including  Egypt — and  once 
enrolled  upon  it,  I  knew  that  I  had  baffl.ed  my 
enemies,  and  had  averted  the  ruin  which  they  had 
so  cunningly  prepared  for  me. 

This  was  the  scheme  which  I  had  thought  out 
during  the  long  watches  of  that  night  of  the  drive 
upon  the  Shoubra,  under  the  inspiration  of  my 
wife's  tearful  eyes  and  the  innocent  faces  of  my 
sleeping  children  ;  and  had  there  been  no  other 
grounds  for  the  refuge  which  I  sought  and  found  under 
the  protecting  wings  of  the  '^  sick  report,"  I  should 
expect  God's  forgiveness  for  the  ruse  by  which  I  pre- 
served my  own  life,  and  saved  those  who  were 
dearest  to  me  from  unutterable  anguish.  As  an 
Victual  fact,  however  my  eye  was  in  a  sad  state, 
and  1  really  needed  the  course  of  treatment  which  it 
so  unexpectedly  received  at  the  hands  of  my  de- 
lighted subordinate,  the  assistant  medical  director 
of  the  war  department. 

Kassim  Effendi  was  closely  catechised  that  day 
by  more  than  one  anxious  official,  including  the 
X3rince  minister,  who,  to  the  surprise  of  every  one, 
laughed  heartily  when  informed  of  my  sufferings; 
but  as  they  gave  him  no  hint  as  to  the  motives  of 
their  seeming  solicitude,  and  he  was  in  blissful  ig- 
norance respecting  the  comedy  in  which  he  was 
playing  so  leading  a  part,  he  only  told,  in  moving 
terms,  of  his  early  summons  to  my  house,  of  the 
alarming  condition  of  my  eye,  and  of  the  injunc- 
30 


466  A  doctor's  experiences 

tiori  under  whicli  he  had  j)laced  me  to  keep  my  bed 
for  some  time  to  come. 

Under  the  guise  of  a  friendly  interest  several 
officers,  native  and  foreign,  called  at  my  house 
that  day,  and  in  the  exuberance  of  their  fraternal 
solicitude  even  insisted  upon  examining  the  suffer- 
ing eye,  little  dreanaing  that  I  knew  them  to  be 
only  tools  and  spies,  and  was  using  them  for  luy 
own  purposes,  while  1  returned  their  expressions 
of  sympathy  and  said  "Amen"  to  their  prayers 
for  my  speedy  restoration  to  health.  Their  pious 
petitions  availed  nothing,  however,  for  I  lay  in  a 
darkened  room,  a  martyr  to  leeches,  blisters,  lo- 
tions, and  compresses  for  more  than  two  weeks — 
long  enough  for  the  Darfour  explorers  to  reach 
Suakim  and  to  journey  half  way  over  the  desert 
which  se]3arates  it  from  the  since  famous  town  of 
Berber,  on  the  Nile.  Nevertheless,  I  am  sure 
that,  but  for  the  enforced  and  heroic  treatment 
which  the  eye  received  at  the  time — but  for  this 
Irrespective  trip  to  Darfour — I  should  have  taxed 
it  beyond  the  point  of  recovery,  and  have  lost  my 
vision  in  the  excess  of  my  zeal  for  the  Khedive's 
service.  1  really  had  long  desired  to  submit  it  to 
a  prolonged  rest  and  appropriate  treatment,  but  I 
had  failed  to  do  so  from  a  fear  of  losing  my  place 
at  the  Citadel,  and,  perhaps,  my  position  in  the 
army. 

The  only  person  who  seemed  to  suspect  that  I 
had  received  private  information  in  regard  to  this 
conspiracy  was  the  prince  minister  himself.  The 
peculiar  manner  in  which  he  received  Kassim's 
pathetic  description  of  my  sufferings  and  the  fact 
that  on  my  first  visit  after  my  recovery  he  greeted 
me  most  cordially,  and,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in 
his  eye,  remarked,  ^^3Iais,  voics  etes  tres  fin,  morb 
Bocteur,"    have   always    suggested    the    suspicion 


IN   THREE  CONTINENTS.  4QT 

that  7ie  sent  the  friend  who  warned  me  of  the  im- 
pending danger.  I  may  be  wrong  in  this  infer- 
ence, but  I  have  liked  him  none  the  less  for  it^  I 
can  assure  you. 

The  next  time  that  I  saw  Colonel  Prout* — the 
commander  of  the  expedition  with  which  I  was  to 
have  been  associated — was  some  two  years  after 
its  departure  from  Cairo.  He  had  made  a  thor- 
ough exploration  of  Darfour  and  Kardofan  ;  he 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  Gordon,  and  risen 
to  the  position  of  assistant  governor-general  of  the 
Soudan  ;  and  he  had  advanced  other  men  by  his 
successes  and  covered  himself  with  glory  as  an  ex- 
plorer and  a  scientist  ;  but  his  health  was  irretriev- 
ably ruined,  and  he  seemed  only  a  specter  of  the 
healthy  and  handsome  young  man  I  had  known  in 
Egypt.  "My  God, Doctor!"  he  exclaimed,  "thank 
your  good  angel  forever  for  that  game  eye  of  yours,, 
for  it  saved  you  from  countless  sufferings  and  from 
certain  death.  The  German  doctor  who  was  sent 
as  your  substitute  died  in  less  than  six  months 
from  the  day  of  his  departure.  The  bones  of  at  least 
two-thirds  of  my  command  were  picked  by  the 
hyenas  before  I  reached  Darfour.  My  own  liver 
was  changed  into  a  nutmeg  and  my  blood  into 
water  before  I  had  half  completed  my  task.  If 
you  had  survived  the  hardships  of  the  journey  you 
would  have  succumbed  to  the  malaria  of  the  country 
to  a  dead  certainty." 

When  I  told  him  the  story  of  the  friendly  warn- 
ing on  the  Shubra  road,  of  my  appeal  to  Kassim's 
sympathy  and  science,  and  of  my  resort  to  the 
protecting  fegis  of  the  "  sick  report,"  he  added: 
"  Cherish  that  friend  as  the  best  that  you  have  had 
in  life,  and  invest  your  'bottom  dollar'  in  a  monu- 


*See  Appendix  (U). 


468  A  doctor's  experiences 

ment  to  his  memory  when  he  has  heen  called  to  his 
account,  for  as  sure  as  the  sun  shines  you  owe  your 
life  to  his  courage  and  devotion." 

The  friend  who  thus  risked  his  position  and  his 
life  to  save  me  was  Doctor  Ahatte,  the  Italian  phy- 
sician of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  and  who,  1 
am  happy  to  tell  you,  has  recently  been  promoted 
to  the  distinguished  position  of  special  physician 
to  Tewfick  Pasha,  the  present  Viceroy  of  Egypt. 

Invested  with  the  title  and  the  dignities  of  a 
pasha,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  princely  salary,  and 
universally  beloved  and  honored  by  the  people  of 
his  adopted  country,  Heaven  seems  to  have  already 
rewarded  him  for  his  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the 
stranger  whose  only  claim  to  consideration  con- 
sisted in  the  fact  that  he  was  a  confrere,  surrounded 
by  enemies  and  doomed  to  destruction. 

While  consciousness  and  identity  remain  I  shall 
remember  his  kindness,  and  pray  for  his  happiness 
both  temporal  and  eternal. 

"Come  immediately  to  Shepard's  Hotel  to- see 
Dr.  Crane,  of  New  York,"  was  a  message  which  I 
received  shortly  after  my  recovery.  Hurrying  after 
the  messenger,  I  found  that  Dr.  J.  J.  Crane — one 
of  the  most  distinguished  physicians  of  New  York 
— had  been  thrown  by  the  stumbling  of  a  donkey 
and  had  broken  his  arm  midway  between  the 
shoulder  and  the  elbow.  A  physician  attached  to 
the  hotel — and  w^io,  of  course,  had  been  recom- 
mended as  the  ''best  surgeon  in  Cairo  " — had  at- 
tempted to  reduce  the  fracture,  but  the  continuous 
pain  in  the  part  with  other  indications  convinced 
the  patient  that  there  was  something  wrong  in  the 
adjustment  of  the  fragments.  As  the  "  best  sur- 
geon in  Cairo  "  could  not  be  found  at  the  moment 
and  the  case  was  pressing,  with  William's  assist- 
ance I   removed  the  dressings,  coaptated  the  frag- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  469 

ments,  applied  the  necessary  splints  and  bandages, 
and  in  tlie  end  had  the  gratification  of  finding  the 
member  restored  to  its  normal  status 

I  thus  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  of  the  ablest 
physicians  and  best  men  that  I  have  ever  known, 
and  sowed  the  seeds  of  a  friendship  from  which 
many  a  pleasant  hour  of  social  intercourse  and  an 
abundant  measure  of  professional  success  have  been 
the  harvest. 

In  the  first  place  he  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  my  ob- 
jections to  receive  a  fee,  and  insisted  on  paying  me 
just  such  a  sum  as  he  would  have  charged  a  rich  pa- 
tient under  similar  circumstances;  and  in  the  second, 
it  has  been  in  a  great  measure  through  his  interven- 
tion and  recommendation  that  I  have  succeeded  in 
Paris — where  he  has  many  friends  and  much  in- 
fluence. If  I  had  no  other  reason  to  honor  the 
profession,  I  could  but  do  so  on  account  of  the 
kindness  which  I  have  received  at  the  hands  of 
these  two  honored  members  of  it.  Its  pigmies  have 
assailed  me,  it  is  true,  but  its  giants  have  been  my 
friends  and  benefactors. 


470  A    doctor's   EXPERIENCES 


LETTER  XXXI  I. 

A  FUELOUGH. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Yielding  to  the  advice  of  friends,  and  having 
already  commenced  to  experience  the  deleterious 
-effects  of  the  aj^proaching  summer,!  determined  to 
apply  for  a  "six  months'  furlough,"  so  as  to  ab- 
sent myself  from  the  country  during  its  heated 
term,  and  to  obtain  the  advice  and  treatment  of  the 
oculists  of  Paris. 

My  application  was  made  at  a  fortunate  time, 
for  the  Khedive  was  then  feeling  most  kindly  to- 
ward the  Americans  in  his  service. 

Only  a  little  while  before  he  had  been  delighted 
by  the  achievements  of  Colonel  Chaille  Long-Bey. 
That  gallant  officer,  with  but  two  soldiers  and 
without  supplies,  had  penetrated  to  McTesa's 
capital,  and  having  conciliated  that  monarch,  had 
returned  to  Grondokoro  by  Lake  Victoria,  Nyanza 
^nd  the  Nile — thus  solving  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant problems  of  the  geography  of  that  region,  and 
•displaying  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  task  a 
heroism,  a  power  of  endurance  and  a  fecundity  of 
resource  which  entitle  him  to  a  commanding  posi- 
tion among  the  explorers  of  the  times. 

All  this  had  proved  a  source  of  great  satisfac- 
tion to  the  Khedive,  and  had  inspired  him  with  a 
profound  admiration  for  this  brave  young  Ameri- 
can, and  with  a  kindly  feeling  toward  his  com- 
j^atriots  generally. 


I 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  471 

Speaking  to  Captain  Carter,  of  tlie  United  States 
Navy,  he  said  :  ''I  like  your  countrymen.  They 
serve  me  well,  and  have  given  less  trouble  than 
-any  foreigners  in  my  army  ;  and  I  am  especially 
pleased  with  Long-Bey,  since,  with  but  two  men 
and  without  money,  he  has  accomplished  more  in 
Central  Africa  than  others  have  effected  with  thou- 
jsands  of  men  and  an  unlimited  command  of  my 
treasury." 

I  therefore  obtained  the  ''leave  of  absence" 
without  difficulty,  and  feeling  almost  as  grateful  to 
my  friend,  Colonel  Long,  as  to  the  Khedive  him- 
self, I  made  preparations  to  leave  Egypt  and  to 
spend  six  months  in  Paris. 

As  the  special  medical  board,  appointed  at  my 
request,  to  examine  into  the  condition  of  my  eye, 
reported  that  it  required  a  protracted  treatment 
^nd  in  a  more  favorable  climate  than  that  of  Egypt, 
the  prince  minister  permitted  me  to  draw  "full 
pay  and  allowances  "  during  the  entire  period  of 
my  absence — a  circumstance  which  at  once  showed 
his  liberality  and  gave  me  great  satisfaction. 

About  this  time  a  very  curious  thing  occurred. 
I  had  several  times  seen  a  statement  in  the  Ameri- 
can papers  to  the  effect  that  a  certain  physician — to 
whom  I  shall  give  the  name  of  Dr.  Smith  for  the  oc- 
casion— had  been  appointed  surgeon-general  of  the 
Egyptian  army,  with  princely  pay  and  perquisites, 
and  that,  attended  by  a  staff  of  his  own  selection,  he 
was  on  the  point  of  starting  for  Cairo.  Thinking 
it  simply  some  sensational  story  I  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  matter  until  brought  face  to  face  with 
it  in  a  curious  way.  An  individual,  bearing  the 
name  of  the  so-called  surgeon-general,  but  of  which 
I  did  not  think  at  the  time,  suddenly  appeared  in 
Cairo,  accompanied  by  his  bride  and  a  young  phy- 
sician of  very  respectable  appearance.     He  at  once 


472  A  doctor's  experiences 

applied  to  me  for  a  position  in  the  medical  staffs 
and  as  I  required  assistance  and  his  letters  of  rec- 
ommendation ostensibly  bore  the  signatures  of 
leading  American  physicians,  I  indorsed  his  appli- 
cation and  sent  it  to  the  war  department,  but  with 
an  unfavorable  issue. 

In  the  mean  time  I  became  quite  intimate  with 
him,  as  he  visited  me  daily,  and  was  a  man  of  fine 
address  and  liberal  education.  One  day  he  came 
to  my  house,  and  having  informed  me  of  his  inten- 
tfon  to  leave  Egypt  on  the  very  day  of  my  in- 
tended departure,  he  proposed  to  engage  state-rooms 
for  me  while  arranging  to  secure  one  for  himself. 
As  I  was  much  occupied  at  the  moment,  I  gladly 
accepted  his  offer,  and  gave  him  five  pounds  with 
which  to  secure  the  berths  by  an  advance  payment. 
On  the  succeeding  day  the  young  physician  who 
had  accompanied  him  to  Egypt  sought  an  inter- 
view with  me,  and  with  tearful  eyes  and  trembling 
voice  told  me  the  following  story  of  fraud  and  out- 
rage : 

"I  had  just  graduated,"  said  he,  ''and  was 
looking  around  for  a  location  when  chance  threw 
me  with  Dr.  Smith,  who  informed  me  that  he  had 
just  been  appointed  surgeon-general  of  the  Egyp- 
tian army  ;  that  he  was  authorized  to  engage  a 
number  of  surgeons  for  that  service  on  liberal  pay, 
and  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  have  me  accompany 
him  to  Egypt.  I  was  naturally  delighted  with  his 
ofi'er,  but  informed  him  that  before  accepting  it  I 
should  be  glad  to  see  the  authority  upon  which  he 
was  acting.  He  said  it  was  only  natural  that  I 
should  make  such  a  request,  and  then  exhibited  to 
me  a  commission  duly  signed  by  the  Khedive,  ap- 
pointing him  surgeon-general  of  the  army,  and  a 
letter  from  the  minister  of  war  authorizing  him  to 
engage  a  certain  number  of  surgeons  as  his  assist- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  473 

ants.  Upon  the  strength  of  these  papers,  I  unhesi- 
tatingly accepted  his  offer  and  started  to  Egypt 
with  him.  In  Paris  he  professed  to  be  greatly  dis- 
appointed because  of  the  non-arrival  of  remittances, 
and  borrowed  of  me  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars^ 
all  the  mone}"  which  I  possessed  after  purchasing 
tickets  to  Cairo,  which  he  has  never  returned, 
though  he  has  often  promised  to  do  so.  On  arriv- 
ing here  I  was  surprised  to  find  you  installed  in 
office,  and,  on  asking  him  for  an  explanation  of  it, 
I  was  told  that  you  were  about  to  leave  the  country, 
ostensibly  on  furlough,  but  really  to  give  place  to 
him,  and  that  immediately  after  your  departure 
he  should  assume  charge  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment, and  would  assign  me  to  duty  and  see  that  I 
was  paid  from  the  date  of  my  engagement.  He 
also  pretended  to  have  daily  interviews  with  the 
Khedive,  and  to  be  on  intimate  terms  with  the 
minister  of  war.  Having  met  the  consul-general 
of  the  United  States  last  night,  I  determined  to 
lay  the  'matter  before  him,  as  my  suspicions  had 
become  excited,  and  I  learned  enough  to  convince 
rae  that  Smith  is  a  fraud  and  that  I  have  been 
duped  and  ruined.  I  therefore  determined  to  come 
directly  to  you,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  truth  in 
regard  to  the  matter,  and  then  to  ask  your  advice 
and  assistance^  as  I  am  without  money  and  owe  for 
two  weeks  board  in  the  bargain." 

"  But  what  about  his  wife — she  seems  to  be  a 
lady?"  I  asked  at  once. 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "she  belongs  to  an  ex- 
cellent family  in  New  York,  and  is  a  perfect  lady. 
She  married  him  believing  him  to  be  surgeon- 
general  of  the  Khedive's  army,  and  expecting  to 
occupy  a  high  position  here.  He  invited  me  to 
the  wedding,  and  they  were  married  with  great 
rejoicing  on  the  part   of  her   family    and   friends. 


474  A  doctor's  experiences 

Even  now  slie  lias  no  suspicion  of  her  husband's 
rascality,  and  only  last  night  she  was  Avishing  that 
you  would  take  your  departure,  so  that  he  might 
get  to  work  and  draw  his  pay." 

''  Well,  surely,"  I  answered,  "this  rascality  is 
the  most  blatant  that  I  ever  heard  of.  The  fellow 
deserves  the  penitentiary.  The  deception  prac- 
ticed on  you  is  bad  enough,  but  the  fraud  commit- 
ted on  the  poor  girl  is  a  thousand  fold  worse.  It 
is  impossible  for  you  to  get  a  position  in  the  army, 
as  I  have  just  done  my  level  best  to  secure  one  for 
him.  I  will  see  what  can  be  done  toward  raising 
money  enough  to  get  you  home.  By  the  way,  I 
very  much  fear  that  I  shall  be  the  loser  by  him, 
as  I  have  given  him  five  pounds  with  which  to  en- 
gage state-rooms  for  me.  You  must  therefore  excuse 
me  now,  as  I  have  to  take  immediate  steps  about 
the  matter.      Call  again  to-morrow." 

Hurrying  to  the  office  of  the  steamer,  I  was  in- 
formed by  the  agent  that  he  had  never  seen  or 
heard  of  the  individual  in  question  and  that  my 
name  was  not  enrolled  upon  his  list  of  passengers. 
I  then  went  immediately  to  the  New  Hotel,  and  de- 
manded an  interview  with  the  ''  other  Richmond" 
of  the  medical  department.  He  had  the  impudence 
to  attempt  the  bluff  game  at  first,  but  when  I  pro- 
ceeded to  lock  the  door  of  the  apartment,  and  to 
inform  him  that  he  had  to  disgorge  then  and  there, 
he  wilted  at  once  and  reluctantly  complied  with 
my  command. 

The  assistant  appealed  to  the  American  consul, 
hoping  to  secure  the  money  which  he  had  loaned 
his  chief  while  in  Paris,  but  only  to  discover  that 
the  quasi  official  had  nothing,  and  was  indebted  to 
the  landlord  of  the  New  Hotel  for  two  weeks" 
board  and  for  sundry  bottles  of  the  best  wine  that 
its  cellar  could  afford. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  475 

Upon  my  representation  a  kind-hearted  Ameri- 
can advanced  the  young  man  money  enough  to  defray 
his  expenses  to  the  United  States,  while  the  Cheva- 
lier d'  Industi'ie  and  his  broken-hearted  wife  were 
eventually  sent  home  at  the  expense  of  the  con- 
sulate. 

It  turned  out,  that  having  wonderful  dexterity 
in  the  use  of  the  pen,  he  had  forged  not  only  the 
pretended  commission  from  the  Khedive,  but  the 
divorce  papers,  by  means  of  which  he  inveigled  the 
poor  girl  into  the  marriage  which  proved  the  source 
of  so  much  sorrow  and  disgrace  to  her. 

A  few  days  previous  to  my  departure  William 
came  to  me  breathless  from  excitement,  with  the 
exclamation  : 

"  Doctor,  there  are  snakes  in  the  stable  !" 

'^  Why  do  you  think  so  ?"  I  inquired. 

''  The  syce  first  told  me  about  them,  and  then  I 
watched  and  saw  them  with  my  own  eyes.  They 
are  horrid-looking  things,  I  can  tell  you,  and  as 
long  as  ray  carriage  whip." 

''  You  mean  your  riding  whip,  don't  you?  But 
never  mind  their  length — get  my  gun  ready  and  I 
wnll  make  short  work  of  them." 

"  But  that  won't  do,  Doctor.  The  syce  says  its 
bad  luck  to  kill  house  snakes,  for  they  have  got  the 
spirits  of  dead  folks  in  them.  We  have  to  get  the 
*' charmers"*  to  catch  them." 

"  The  charmers  !     who  are  they?" 

"  They  are  some  sheiks  who  go  about  Cairo  catch- 
ing snakes  for  a  living.  They  have  only  to  put  their 
noses  into  a  house  to  tell  whether  there  are  any 
snakes  in  it,  and  then  they  make  the  critters  come 
out  by  calling  to  them  in  the  name  of  the  Prophet." 
I  do   not  believe   a   word  of  the  story.     The 


a 


See  Appendix  (V 


476  A  doctor's  experiences 

syce  has  humbugged  you  to  get  some  backsheesh  out 
of  us." 

^'  Oh,  no,  sir!  It  aint  no  humbug — its  true  as 
preachin'.  I  have  seen  the  snakes  for  sartin,  and 
I  have  talked  with  the  '  charmers'  about  getting 
them  out  of  the  premises.  They  say  that  I  have 
only  to  open  the  stable  door  and  let  them  look  in, 
and  they  will  smell  them  out,  and  catch  them  in 
the  bargain  for  two  piasters  a  head." 

''  Well,  that  sum  will  certainly  not  break  us,  so 
they  may  as  well  try  their  hands.'' 

''But,  Doctor,  that  aint  all.  After  they  catch 
them  they  are  bound  to  make  them  bite  somebody 
that  belongs  to  the  establishment,  for  if  they  don't, 
you  see,  the  '  charmers'  will  lose  their  luck  and 
die  of  a  snake  bite  in  less  than  a  year." 

''  What  is  to  become  of  the  fool  who  permits  him- 
self to  be  bitten?  I  hope  you  have  more  sense  than 
to  allow  the  '  charmers'  to  try  any  such  experi- 
ment on  you.  My  advice  to  you  is  to  let  them 
alone." 

But  he  was  not  to  be  turned  from  his  purpose. 
On  the  next  day  I  observed  that  the  syce  had  his 
hand  enveloped  in  a  handkerchief,  and  judging 
from  that  circumstance  that  the  "charmers"  had 
been  at  Avork,  I  questioned  William  in  regard  to 
their  operations,  and  received  from  him  the  follow- 
ing history  : 

Having  removed  their  clothing  and  each  taken  a 
long  wand  in  his  hand  they  entered  the  stable  ; 
falling  upon  their  knees,  with  their  faces  turned 
toward  Mecca,  they  prayed  devoutly  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  commenced  to  walk  around  the 
building  with  their  eyes  turned  to  the  ceiling,  re- 
peating sentences  from  the  Koran,  and  imploring 
the  snakes  to  appear  ;  suddenly,  first  one  snakej 
and  then  another  protruded  his  head  from  a  "  hole' 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  477 

in  the  wall,"  and  finally  dropped  upon  the  floor, 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  "  charmers  ; "  and  then 
each  sheik  seized  a  snake,  and  carried  it  out  of 
doors,  crying  ''Allah!  Allah!  Allah!  "  at  the  top 
of  his  voice. 

So  soon  as  the  syce  saw  the  snakes — with  their 
glittering  eyes,  their  protruding  tongues,  and  their 
writhing  bodies — his  courage  left  him,  and  he  took 
to  his  heels  and  disappeared  around  a  neighboring 
corner.  At  this  the  "charmers"  became  dread- 
fully alarmed,  and  declared  that  they  had  been 
"  betrayed  ;  that  their  occupation  was  gone,  and 
that  they  would  die  from  a  snake  bite  unless  some 
one  would  take  the  place  of  the  syce  and  submit 
to  be  bitten."  They  finalh^  insisted  that  William 
sliould  act  as  his  substitute  or  should  produce  him 
according  to  the  terms  of  the  contract.  Seeing 
their  terror  and  somewhat  alarmed  for  himself,  he 
started  off  in  search  of  the  syce — bidding  them 
await  his  return,  or  they  should  not  be  paid  for 
their  trouble.  Tracing  the  fugitive  to  his  own 
house,  William  induced  him  by  threats  and 
promises  to  return  to  the  stable  and  stand  up  to 
his  agreement — to  be  bitten  by  the  snakes  accord- 
ing to  the  original  programme,  convinced  that  they 
were  harmless  and  that  no  injury  would  result  to 
him. 

Then  another  difficulty  arose — the  snakes  proved 
refractory — refused  to  use  their  fangs,  and  it  was 
only  by  stirring  them  up  and  pinching  their  tails 
that  they  could  be  made  to  bite. 

When  this  was  finally  acccomplished,  the 
"charmers"  gave  vent  to  a  chorus  of  "Hamd- 
allahs,"  pocketed  their  piasters  and  carried  off  the 
snakes  in  triumph,  while  the  sympathetic  crowd 
joined  in  the  chorus  with  the  most  pathetic  unction. 

When  I  examined  the  bandaged  hand  I  could 


478  A  doctor's  experiences 

plainly  perceive  the  punctures  made  by  the 
fangs  of  the  snake  and  some  tumefaction  of  the 
subjacent  integuments,  but  no  serious  consequences 
resulted,  and  convinced  that  he  would  henceforth 
bear  a  charmed  life  so  far  as  snakes  and  evil  spirits 
were  concerned,  he  was  the  happiest  and  the 
proudest  fellow  in  Cairo. 

Lane  spells  the  word  sais^  but  General  Loring^ 
writes  it  syce^  which  conveys  a  better  idea  of  its 
pronunciation,  and  I  have,  therefore,  adopted  it. 
These  syces  possess  remarkable  powers  of  endur- 
ance, but  they  die  young  from  the  combined 
effects  of  hasheesh,  raki  and  over-exertion.  There 
is  a  story  in  Egypt  that  a  syce  of  Mehemet  Ali  ran 
before  the  carriage  of  his  master  from  Alexandria, 
to  Cairo — about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles — 
without  stopping  either  to  eat  or  to  rest  on  the 
way.  This  seems  scarcely  credible,  but  I  have 
seen  Ismahein — the  hero  of  the  snake  story — run 
for  hours  together,  with  the  thermometer  indicat- 
ing 100"',  without  manifesting  the  slightest  sign  of 
fatigue. 

The  habit  of  smoking  hasheesh — a  species  of 
Indian  hemp— prevails  to  a  fearful  extent  in  Egypt, 
It  can  be  had  at  all  the  tobacco  shops  for  a  mere 
song,  and  it  is  generally  used  by  the  lower  classes, 
to  the  speedy  destruction  of  their  minds  and 
bodies.  It  is  more  seductive  than  opium  and 
equally  as  pernicious,  while  its  victims  can  be 
easily  recognized  by  the  unsteadiness  of  their 
walk,  the  blurred  and  jaundiced  condition  of  their 
eyes,  the  bloated  or  mnmmy-like  aspect  of  their 
bodies,  and  a  peculiar  hacking  cough,  the  counter- 
part of  that  of  senile  bronchitis. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1875,  I  sailed  from  Alex- 
andria for  Marseilles  en  route  to  Paris,  accompanied 
by  my  family  and  my  servant  William. 


m    THREE   CONTINENTS.  479 

The  voyage  was  a  calm  and  uninteresting  one  in 
itself,  but  it  was  made  pleasant  by  the  society  of  some 
English  gentlemen,  whose  acquaintance  I  made  by 
rendering  a  service  to  one  of  their  number.  By  a 
sudden  lurch  of  the  ship  he  was  thrown  violently 
against  an  open  cabin  door,  and  received  a  wound 
just  beneath  the  nose,  of  sufficient  depth  and 
length  to  expose  the  gums  and  teeth,  and  to  cause 
the  ufp]^er  lip,  with  the  mustache  attached  to  it, 
to  fall  over  the  loiver  one,  presenting  a  most  ghastly 
appearance. 

Perceiving  that  the  ship's  surgeon  had  neither 
the  requisite  skill  nor  the  necessary  appliances  to 
dress  the  wound  properly,  1  volunteered  my  services, 
and  had  the  good  fortune  to  secure  perfect  coapta- 
tion and  immediate  union  without  subsequent  de- 
formity or  disfigurement. 

From  that  time,  he  and  his  friends  overwhelmed 
me  with  attentions — their  civilities  rendering  the 
voyage  an  exceedingly  pleasant  one. 

What  a  splendid  man  is  a  real  English  gentleman  1 
He  combines  in  his  character  a  chivalry,  a  refine- 
ment, and  a  tenderness  which  are  seldom  found 
associated  in  other  types  of  humanity.  It  is  the 
old  story  of  the  rough  rind  and  the  tender  kernel — 
the  frozen  surface  and  the  glowing  center — the 
coarse  garment  and  the  gentle  nature  beneath  it. 
Since  my  residence  in  Egypt  I  have  had  a  special 
respect  for  the  English  character,  for  with  the 
absolute  removal  of  the  restraints  of  society  which 
appertains  to  that  country,  I  did  not  see  the  English 
return  to  primal  barbarism  or  lapse  into  an  open 
defiance  of  the  laws  of  decency,  as  did  their  neigh- 
bors, but  on  the  contrary,  I  saw  them  live  like 
gentlemen — remembering  the  traditions  of  home 
and  respecting  its  curbs  and  obligations — notwith- 
standing  the  general   demoralization    which   sur- 


480  A  doctor's  experiences 

rounded  them.  They  have  their  faults,  it  is  true, 
but  they  seldom  forget  the  lessons  of  respect  for 
themselves  and  regard  for  the  proprieties  of  life 
which  they  learned  from  their  mothers  ;  and  they 
would  respond  to  a  church  bell  if  they  heard  it  in 
Hades  or  in  Halifax. 

We  reached  Paris  on  the  12th  of  April,  1875, 
and  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Chatham,  an  excellent 
house  and  one  much  frequented  by  Americans. 

My  first  inquiry  was  for  General  Thaddeus  P. 
Mott,  who  had  been  the  pioneer  American  officer 
in  the  East  and  the  prime  favorite  of  the  Khedive 
during  the  entire  period  of  his  residence  there.  As 
he  had  left  a  good  record  behind  him,  and  I  was 
convinced  of  the  similarity  of  our  views  respecting 
many  Egyptian  subjects,  I  felt  desirous  of  making 
his  acquaintance,  hoping  among  other  things  to 
induce  him  to  return  to  the  country. 

The  Khedive  had  long  refused  to  receive  the  resig- 
nation which  ill  health  had  originally  necessitated, 
as  he  was  unwilling  to  lose  so  able  and  faithful  a 
servant.  Though  absent  for  several  years,  his 
highness  still  retained  his  name  upon  the  roll  of 
the  war  department,  and  even  after  my  arrival  in 
Paris  importuned  him  to  return,  feeling  that  in  the 
impending  storm  he  needed  the  services  of  just; 
such  a  cool-headed  and  loyal-hearted  man. 

I  used  every  possible  argument  to  induce  him  to 
accept  the  Khedive's  renewed  proposition,  for  I 
knew  that  the  time  was  coming  when  the  tide  would 
turn  against  the  Americans  in  that  country,  and 
that  his  a'dvice  and  influence  would  be  invaluable 
to  them. 

We  became  warm  friends,  and!  profited  in  many, 
ways  by  his  advice  and  intervention,  but  I  failed; 
signally  in  inducing  him  to  return,  as  his  health; 
was  precarious,  and  one  of  the  conditions  which  he^ 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  481 

demanded  was  regarded  as  impossible  by  bis  bigb- 
ness  under  tbe  circumstances.  Of  a  proud  spirit, 
and  convinced  of  tbe  correctness  of  bis  views,  be 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  yield  a  bair's  breadtb, 
-and  tbere  was,  consequently,  lost  to  tbe  Kbedive  a 
friend  Avbose  sagacity  could  bave  diverted  raucb  of 
tbe  trouble  wbicb  subsequently  engulfed  bim,  and 
to  Egypt  an  officer  wbose  courage,  ability  and 
experience  would  bave  proved  invaluable  in  tbe 
calamities  wbicb  bave  since  overtaken  ber. 

My  next  move  was  to  seek  out  tbe  distinguisbed 
oculist  to  wbom  I  bad  been  recommended  by  Dr. 
Abatte  and  otber  friends  in  Egypt.  He  gave  me  a 
burried  and  imperfect  examination,  and  tben  pro- 
nounced tbe  eye  to  be  "  in  perfect  condition." 

"In  perfect  condition?  wben  it  bas  been  at- 
tacked tbree  difi'erent  times  by  opbtbalmia — wben 
it  is  so  sensitive  to  impressions  tbat  I  bave  to  keep 
it  constantly  bandaged — wben  I  suffer  perpetually 
witb  pain  and  cannot  distinguisb  between  ligbt 
-and  darkness  witb  it,"  I  exclaimed. 

''0^^^,  Monsieur^  c  est  gueri,"  be.  answered,  in 
tbe  most  indifferent  manner. 

You  can  appreciate  my  amazement  at  tbis  an- 
nouncement, but  my  mind  soon  arrived  at  an  ex- 
planation of  tbe  motive  wbicb  prompted  it.  As 
be  was  not  a  fool,  but  a  man  of  recognized  ability 
in  bis  specialty,  it  was  impossible  to  believe  otber- 
wise  tban  tbat  be  did  not  care  to  be  troubled  witb 
tbe  case  of  a  confrere,  inasmucb  as  tbere  was  no 
money  to  be  made  out  of  it,  and  bis  time  was 
valuable. 

Hurrying  to  my  botel,  I  addressed  bim  a  note 
demanding  to  know^  tbe  amount  of  my  indebted- 
ness, and  telling  bim  tbat  I  understood  and  appre- 
ciated bis  conduct.  It  is  true  tbat  be  attempted 
an  apology,  but  it  is  equally  certain  tbat  I  declined 
31 


482  A  doctor's  experiences 

to  accept  it,  and  that  I  have  never  since  asked  his 
advice  for  myself  or  for  my  patients,  so  that  his 
nn kindness  did  not  prove  a  very  profitable  invest- 
ment in  the  end. 

I  then  sought  Dr.  Landolt,  who,  after  a  thor- 
ough examination  of  the  eye,  pronounced  its  con- 
dition precarious,  and  then  subjected  it  to  a  pro- 
tracted and  most  skillful  treatment.  Being  greatly 
delighted  with  him,  both  as  a  gentleman  and  as 
an  oculist,  I  advised  him  to  study  the  English  lan- 
o;uao^e,  and  have  ever  since  recommended  him  in 
enthusiastic  terms  to  my  friends  and  patrons. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  tell  you  that  he  has 
become  the  most  famous  oculist  in  Paris,  and  that 
I  have  contributed  in  no  slight  degree  to  his  suc- 
cess, or  rather,  have  helped  to  afford  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  display  his  rare  skill  and  learning  as  a. 
specialist. 

After  the  cure  of  the  eye,  he  said  to  me  :  ^'  Dr. 
Warren,  you  have  had  a  narrow  escape  from  blind- 
ness— certainly  as  far  as  the  left  eye  is  concerned. 
Take  no  more  risks.  Do  not  think  of  returning  to 
Egypt.  I  cannot  answer  for  the  consequences  of 
another  attack  of  ophthalmia." 

''What?     Not  return  to  Egypt,"  I  inquired. 

"No,  unless  you  wish  to  lose  your  eye,"  was 
his  answer. 

Here  w^as  truly  a  surprise  and  a  dilemma.  I  was 
dependent  upon  my  salary  from  the  Khedive;  I  had 
not  lived  in  the  country  long  enough  to  realize  from 
the  investment  of  moving  to  it;  I  was  only  enti- 
tled to  receive  a  gratuity  of  two  months'  pay  in 
the  event  of  a  resignation  on  account  of  "physi- 
cal disability  ;"  and  I  had  a  family  dependent  upon 
me  for  support.  The  fiat  which  constrained  me  to 
make  this  sacrifice  seemed  a  cruel  one  indeed,  and 
I  hurried  to  General  Mott  to  inform  him  of  it,  and 


GENERAL     MOTT, 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  485" 

to  ask  his  guidance  in  the  darkness  which  encom- 
passed me. 

He  gave  me  the  most  sensible  advice  that  could 
have  fallen  from  human  lips.  *'  Seek  the  authori- 
zation to  practice  medicine  in  Paris — offer  for  prac- 
tice without  delay — and  then  at  the  end  of  six 
months  decide  for  yourself  in  regard  to  Egypt," 
were  the  words  of  wisdom  with  which  he  responded 
to  my  entreaty  for  direction  in  the  trying  circum- 
stances of  my  position. 

It  was  in  this  emergency  that  I  renewed  my  ac- 
quaintance with  Doctors  Charcot  and  Ricord,  and,, 
through  the  influence  of  their  great  names,  sup- 
ported by  the  indorsement  of  my  friends,  Profes- 
sor Gross,  Dr.  J.  J.  Crane,  Alfred  Swaine  Taylor,. 
Thomas  Stevenson  and  Sir  James  Paget,  that  I 
had  the  good  fortune  to  be  made  a  ^'licentiate  of 
the  University  of  France,"  and  was  enabled  to- 
commence  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Paris. 

I  must  tell  you  that  no  foreigner  can  engage  in- 
the  practice  of  medicine  here  without  having  passed; 
an  examination  before  a  French  faculty,  or  having, 
obtained  a  ministerial  authorization.  No  such  au- 
thorization has  been  given  since  mine  was  ac- 
corded, though  many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
obtain  one,  and  are  not  likely  to  be  given  again, 
whatever  may  be  the  influence  or  position  of  the 
applicant.  In  fact,  an  effort  is  now  being  made 
to  annul  those  which  hav.e  been  accorded  and  to 
compel  every  foreign  physician  residing  in  France 
to  submit  to  the  ordeal  of  an  examination  by  the 
faculty. 

Dr.  Crane  fortunately  arrived  in  Paris  just  at 
this  time,  and  made  it  a  point  to  introduce  me  to- 
his  large  circle  of  friends  and  to  speak  in  glowing- 
terms  of  the  manner  in  which  I  had  treated  his 
fractured  arm.     G-eneral  Mott  interested  the  mem- 


484  A  doctor's  experiexces 

%ers  of  his  family,  the  descendants  of  America's  most 
illustrious  surgeon,  in  my  behalf.  Chance  threw 
me  with  General  Torbert,  the  consul-general  of  the 
United  States,  and  Mr.  E.  M.  Hooper,  the  vice- 
consul-general,  both  of  whom  took  the  liveliest  in- 
terest in  my  success^  and  contributed  materially  to 
it.  And,  in  a  word,  by  the  help  of  these  good 
-friends,  and  the  co-operation  of  some  fortunate 
'cases — to  which  I  shall  more  particularly  refer 
further  on — I  felt  that  my  future  was  secure  before 
the  expiration  of  my  furlough — before  the  time 
arrived  for  a  definite  understanding  with  the  Egyp- 
tian government. 

Good  luck  attended  my  negotiations  at  Cairo. 
The  prince  minister  stood  my  friend,  and,  instead 
of  accepting  my  resignation  very  kindly  discharged 
Tne  honorably  from  the  service,  which,  under  the 
'terms  of  my  contract,  secured  for  me  ^'  six  months' 
pay,  and  transportation  to  New  York." 

It  is  true  that  the  payment  of  this  money  was 
postponed,  because  of  certain  intrigues  which  were 
undertaken  in  a  spirit  of  deliberate  malice  for  my 
injury  and  annoyance,  but,  as  they  are  things  of 
"the  past  and  amounted  to  nothing  in  the  end,  I 
will  not  sully  the  pages  of  these  memoirs  by  dis- 
vcussing  them  or  alluding  to  their  authors. 

Through  the  kind  intervention  of  Mr.  Wash- 
l3urne,  who  was  then  minister  of  the  United  States 
^t  Paris,  these  schemes  .were  thwarted  and  the 
;payraent  made,  much  to  my  satisfaction  and  with 
~the  inspiration  of  sentiments  of  the  liveliest  grati- 
tude to  the  distinguished  statesman  who  befriended 
one  in  the  matter.  • 

Keferring  to  Mr.  Washburne  I  take  this  occasion  ' 
to  say  that  our  country  has  never  had  an   abler  or 
more  popular  representative  abroad  than  this  wor- 
thy gentleman.     Although  some  have  complained 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  48a 

that  he  saved  money  out   of  his    salary,  none   can 
accuse  him  of  any  dereliction  of  duty  or  deny  that 
he  was  generally  esteemed  and  respected  here.    He- 
made  it  the  business  of  his  life  to  see   that   even- 
handed  justice  was  done  to  his  compatriots  with- 
out asking  a  question  as  to  their   political    antece- 
dents  or  affinities,   and   his   kindness    to    Colonel 
Rhett,  an  ex-confederate   of  distinction,  who  had. 
become  paralyzed  in  the   service    of  the   Khedive, 
excited  the  warmest  admiration    of  all    who    were 
acquainted  with   the  facts    of  the   case,  and  espe- 
cially endeared  him  to  the  Southern  men  domiciled 
in  France. 

How  little  do  we  know  of  what  is  before  us  ! 
How  completely  are  we  the  creatures  of  circum- 
stances which  can  neither  be  foreseen  nor  controlled.. 
The  future  is  only  a  terra  incognita^  for  which  the- 
revelations  of  the  past  supply  no  guidance,  and 
the  lessons  of  the  present  furnish  no  light. 

The  loss  of  my  position,  which  seemed  a  curse 
at  the  moment,  proved  a  blessing  in  the  end.  Soon 
after  my  discharge  the  Khedive  declared  war 
against  Abyssinia,  and  sent  his  entire  army  to 
subjugate  that  country.  Dr.  Mehemet  Ali-Pasha, 
the  professor  of  surgery  in  the  medical  school  of 
Cairo,  was  elevated  to  the  position  which  I  had. 
vacated,  and  ordered  to  accompany  the  expedition 
as  its  chief  medical  director.  When  the  Egyptian 
army  was  defeated  at  Gura,  he  was  captured  and 
given  in  cliarge  to  a  Soudanese  soldier,  who  subse- 
quently murdered  him  in  cold  blood — a  fate  which 
would  have  assuredly  been  mine  had  not  the  condi- 
tion of  my  eyes  compelled  me  to  leave  the  country. 
In  a  word,  I  was  killed  hj  pi^oxy  in  Abyssinia  as^ 
I  certainly  should  have  been  in  ideality  had  I  re- 
mained in  the  Khedive's  service.  That  therefore 
which  I  blindly  esteemed  a  misfortune  and  grieved 


486  A  doctor's  experiences 

over  most  bitterly  was,  in  God's  mercy,  transformed 
into  a  benefit,  for  which  I  thanked  Him  upon 
bended  knees  and  with  a  heart  overflowing  with 
thankfulness. 

One  of  his  assistants,  Dr.  Johnstone,  of  Tennes- 
see, who  had  graduated  in  Baltimore  in  the  medi- 
cal college  with  which  I  was  connected,  was  cap- 
tured at  the  same  time,  and  after  undergoing  hard- 
ships which  shattered  his  health  and  almost 
unsettled  his  reason,  was  finally  released  by  King 
-John,  who  took  him  to  be  an  Englishman,  and  en- 
trusted him  with  a  confidential  message  to  Queen 
Victoria. 

I  am  told  that  many  of  the  captured  soldiers 
"were  mutilated  and  sent  back  with  instructions  to 
say  to  the  Khedive  that  the  Egyptians  need  have 
no  excuse  for  capturing  Abyssinia  boys  for  some 
time  to  come,  as  they  had  been  furnished  with  a 
good  supply  of  eunuchs  of  their  own  race.  This 
message  requires  an  explanation,  which,  as  a  medi- 
cal man,  I  am  sure  you  will  regard  as  privileged. 
Eunuchs  being  in  great  demand  among  the  wealthy 
classes,  a  thriving  trade  has  long  been  carried  on 
by  certain  sheiks  along  the  frontiers  of  Abyssinia 
in  the  theft  of  male  children  between  six  and 
•eight  years  of  age,  and  their  subsequent  emascula- 
tion. Having  no  proper  surgical  instruments  or 
appliances,  their  mode  of  procedure  is  to  cut  boldly 
-with  a  sharp  knife,  and  then  to  bury  the  subject  up 
to  his  waist  in  sand,  so  as  to  keep  him  from  bleed- 
ing to  death.  The  percentage  of  mortality  is  high 
tinder  this  barbarous  system,  but  that  is  not  taken 
into  account  by  the  sheiks,  as,  allowing  for  all 
-sources  of  loss,  their  profits  are  enormous. 

Formerly  it  was  customar}'  to  remove  only  the 
«crotum  and  its  contents,  but  latterly  it  is  the 
habit  to  excise  the  organs  in  their    entirety,  so    as 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  487 

to  respond  to  the  demands  of  the  market,  as  pur- 
chasers under  the  old  system  frequently  found  that 
instead  of  having  secured  a  eunuch,  as  they  be- 
lieved, they  had  introduced  into  the  hareem  a  ridg- 
ling  and  a  rival — the  truant  organ  having  con- 
cealed itself  among  the  abdominal  viscera,  and 
thus  escaped  removal  when  the  scrotum  was  ex- 
cised. The  same  trade  is  continued  in  Upper 
Egypt  under  similar  circumstances  of  barbarity 
and  disregard  for  suffering  and  life. 

The  first  patient  to  whom  I  was  called  in  Paris 
was  a  Captain  Jackson,  of  the  English  navy.  I 
found  a  French  physician  in  charge  of  the  case,  and 
was  informed  by  him  that  the  captain  had  been  ill 
for  forty  days  with  ''typhoid  fever,"  and  that 
there  had  been  several  physicians  in  consultation, 
the  last  of  whom  had  retired  that  day,  convinced 
that  the  patient  would  succumb  within  the  succeed- 
ing twenty-four  hours.  Upon  entering  the  sick 
-chamber  I  immediately  recognized  that  peculiar 
-ammoniacal  odor  which  is  characteristic  of  uremic 
poisoning,  and  an  examination  of  the  patient 
promptly  and  decisively  revealed  the  symptoms  of 
acute  "  Bright's  disease."  I  pointed  them  out  to 
the  doctor,  and  discovered  that  he  had  overlooked 
them  entirely  ;  that  he  had  not  inquired  into  the 
condition  of  the  kidneys,  although  they  were  se- 
creting less  than  a  pint  of  urine  daily.  As  the 
2:)atient  was  profoundly  comatose,  with  cold  ex- 
tremities and  an  exceedingly  feeble  pulse,  I  in- 
sisted that  he  should  be  given  turpentine — from  its 
recognized  properties  as  a  stimulant  to  the  kidneys 
and  to  the  system  at  large — alternately  with  gin 
and  milk,  and  that  sinapisms  should  be  repeatedly 
applied  to  the  extremities  and  over  the  loins. 

On  the  succeeding  morning  I  found    that   there 
was  a  considerable  augmentation  of  the   urinary 


488  A  doctor's  experiences 

secretion,  and  that  the  patient  was  consequently 
better  in  all  regards,  but  when  we  retired  for  con- 
sultation the  doctor  produced  the  specimen  of  urine 
which  he  had  taken  away  for  examination  apd  de- 
clared that  it  contained  ''not  a  trace  of  albumen." 

' '  No  albumen ,  sir  ?' '  I  exclaimed .  ' '  You  astonish 
me.  Hereisthespecimen which Ihaveexamined, and 
as  you  can  see  for  yourself,  it  is  loaded  with  albu- 
men." 

"  Mine  at  least  contains  nothing  of  the  kind," 
he  answered,  in  a  very  surly  manner. 

"Well,  sir,  the  question  can  be  readily  settled,"  I 
replied .  "I  have  brought  with  me  materials  for  test- 
ing it,  and  I  shall  employ  them  in  your  presence." 
The  urine  was  duly  examined  and  a  heavy  deposit 
of  albumen  presented  itself.  "  Now,"  said  I,  "  you 
are  attempting  to  act  unfairly  both  toward  the  pa- 
tient and  to  myself,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  sub- 
mit to  it."  I  then  called  the  family  in  to  the 
room,  and  explained  the  whole  matter  to  them, 
concluding  by  saying:  "Another  physician  must 
be  called  in  to  decide  between  us,  and  I  hope  you 
will  select  some  reliable  Ensrlishman."  The  French- 
man  declared  that  it  was  the  very  thing  he  de- 
sired, and  promised  to  return  at  3  p.  m.  to  meet 
whoever  they  might  think  proper  to  invite  to  the- 
consultation. 

Before  leaving  the  house  I  took  the  precaution 
to  instruct  the  nurse  "  to  make  no  change  in  the 
treatment,  even  if  instructed  to  do  so  by  the  attend- 
ing physician,"  as  I  had  no  confidence  in  either  his 
capacity  or  his  honesty .  I  returned  at  the  appointed 
hour,  and  found  Dr.  M.,  an  English  physician  of 
ability  and  experience,  awaiting  me,  but  the  French- 
man was  not  there,  and  he  never  returned  to  the 
house  afterward. 

As  a  matter  of  course,    my   diagnosis   was  con-. 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  489 

firmed  in  every  particular,  and  the  treatment  con- 
tinuedj  and  I  must  add  that  the  patient  promptly 
recovered  from  his  attack  of  so-called  ' '  typhoid 
fever,'/  and  died  nine  months  afterward  of  con- 
firmed ''Bright's  disease." 

Shortly  afterward  I  was  summoned  to  a  Spanish 
lady  of  position,  who  had  been  attended  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  leading  physicians  of  Paris,  each  of 
whom  had  discovered  a  different  malady,  while  all 
had  failed  to  relieve  her,  and  had  pronounced  her 
case  incurable.  She  was  in  a  sad  plight  when  I 
saw  her,  as  she  seemed  to  have  a  complication  of 
maladies,  the  mucous  membrane  generally  being 
in  a  state  of  chronic  inflammation. 

The  stomach  was  too  much  irritated  to  retain 
nourishment  of  any  kind,  and  she  discharged  on 
the  day  of  my  arrival  a  mold  of  the  epithelial 
lining  of  the  intestine  several  feet  in  length.  After 
a  careful  examination  I  concluded  that  she  was 
suffering  from  chronic  arsenical  poisoning  ;  that 
she  really  had  the  symptoms  of  all  the  various  dis- 
eases which  had  been  attributed  to  her,  because  t)f 
the  derangement  of  each  organ  possessing  a  mu- 
cous membrane. 

The  husband  manifested  great  indignation  at 
this  diagnosis,  taking  it  as  an  intimation  that  an 
attempt  had  been  made  to  poison  his  wife.  "  Not 
at  all,"  said  I,  "you  entirely  .misunderstand  me. 
I  only  mean  to  say  that  she  has  habitually  used 
some  substance  containing  arsenic^  which  has  gradu- 
ally accumulated  in  her  system,  and  expended  it- 
self upon  the  mucous  membrane,  producing  the 
results  which  I  find  to-day."  Upon  investigation 
it  appeared  that  to  remove  some  taches  from  her 
skin  she  had  visited  La  Bourboule,  a  noted  arseni- 
cal spring  in  France,  the  waters  of  which  she  had 
drank  freelv,  and   bathed  in  resrularlv   for  several 


490  A  doctor's  experiences 

weeks,  and  that  after  her  return  to  Paris  and  up 
to  that  very  hour  of  my  visit  she  had  continued  to 
drink  several  glasses  daily. 

These  facts  solved  the  problem  of  this  appar- 
ently mysterious  case,  and  confirmed  the  diagnosis 
which  I  had  so  boldly  made  on  my  first  examina- 
tion of  it. 

By  prohibiting  the  use  of  the  Bourboule  water 
and  the  employment  of  appropriate  remedies,  my 
patient  was  promptly  restored  to  health — to  my 
infinite  gratification  and  the  delight  of  her  family 
and  friends. 

The  husband  shortly  afterward  visited  Madrid, 
and  made  it  a  point  to  relate  the  history  of  his 
wife's  illness  and  restoration  to  the  King  of  Spain, 
who  immediately  created  me  a  "  Knight  of  the 
Order  of  Isabella  the  Catholic,"  one  of  the  most 
honorable  orders  of  chivalry  in  Europe. 

Again  I  was  called  as  a  consultant  in  the  case 
of  an  American  gentleman — a  friend  of  Dr.  Crane 
— who  was  suffering  from  incessant  vomiting,  ac- 
companied by  persistent  constipation,  an  icteroid 
hue  of  the  skin  and  conjunctiva,  and  profound 
prostration  of  the  general  system.  There  was, 
also,  in  attendance  one  of  the  most  experienced 
and  distinguished  physicians  of  Paris,  and  the 
English  physician  to  whom  I  have  referred  in  con- 
nection with  Captain  Jackson's  case.  Upon  con- 
ferring together,  I  found  that  a  radical  difference 
of  opinion  existed  between  myself  and  my  col- 
leagues in  regard  to  the  nature  of  the  case.  They 
took  the  ground  that  an  intussuscejotion  of  the  bowel 
existed,  that  the  vomited  matters  were  stercora- 
ceoi's,  and  that  the  other  symptoms  were  secondary 
and  subordinate  ;  while  I  insisted  that  an  abscess 
of  the  liver  had  opened  into  the  duodenum  imme 
diately  below  the  pyloric   orifice   of  the   stomach,  . 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  491 

that  the  matters  ejected  were  an  admixture  of  hile 
and  vitiated  pus,  and  that  the  concomitant 
phenomena  were  the  consequences  and  exponents 
of  what  had  occurred.  The  question  at  issue 
turned  mainly  upon  the  nature  of  the  odor  emitted 
"by  the  matters  vomited — they  pronouncing  it/eca?, 
and  I  declaring  it  to  he  essentially  that  of  an  ad- 
mixture of  bile  and  vitiated  pus,  such  as  I  had  en- 
countered in  similar  cases  of  hepatic  abscesses  in 
the  East.  Being  outvoted,  I  had  to  submit  to  see- 
ing a  plan  of  treatment  adopted  which,  to  say  the 
least,  was  not  demanded  by  the  indications  as  I 
interpreted  them,  and  was  useless  per  .se,  and  to 
rely  upon  the  autopsy  for  the  vindication  of  my 
diagnosis.  The  patient,  who  had  received  a  medi- 
cal education  and  was  perfectly  conscious  up  to  the 
last  moment  of  his  life,  agreed  with  me  in  my 
view  of  his  case,  and  left  a  dying  request  that  a 
post-mortem  examination  should  be  made  for  the 
purpose  of  determining  the  mooted  question. 

The  case  soon  terminated  fatally,  and  the  post- 
mortem examination  was  made  by  an  expert,  the 
attending  physician  and  myself  being  present — 
with  the  result  of  finding  that  a  hepatic  abscess  had 
opened,  into  the  duodenum,  and  that  no  intussuscep- 
tion of  the  intestine  existed. 

These  cases  gave  me  a  good  start  in  Paris,  and 
proved  the  harbingers  of  a  real  professional  success 
— secured  for  me  a  large  and  lucrative  clientele, 
not  only  among  my  compatriots,  but  in  the  circles 
of  many  nationalities. 


492  A  doctor's  experiences 


LETTER   XXXI 11. 

LIFE  IN  PARIS.  iJ 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

I  was  quietly  smoking  my  post-prandial  cigar 
one  evening  when  there  was  a  ring  at  the  door, 
and  a  young  man  was  ushered  in  whose  manner 
and  appearance  most  favorably  impressed  me.  He 
had  essentially  the  bearing  of  a  polished  gentle- 
man, and  there  was  a  grace  in  his  deportment  and 
a  sympathetic  ring  in  his  voice  which  placed  us  en 
raijport  in  a.n  instant.  Here  is  one  of  "nature's 
real  noblemen,"  was  my  reflection,  as  I  gave  him 
ray  hand  and  invited  him  to  a  chair. 

"  I  am  Mr.  Henry  Dwight,  of  Boston,"  he  said, 
as  he  seated  himself  by  my  side  and  declined  a 
proffered  cigar.  '^  I  have  called,"  he  resumed 
"  to  request  you  to  visit  a  particular  friend  of  mine 
who  is  ill,  and,  I  fear,  dangerously  so,  at  the  hotel. 
Can  you  accompany  me  at  once?" 

"  Certainly,"  I  answered,  ''I  will  go  with  pleas- 
ure. Bat  sit  down  for  a  few  moments  and  tell 
me  something  about  the  case.  How  'long  has  he 
been  ill,  and  what  seems  to  be  the  trouble?" 

"He  has  been  ailing  ever  since  we  landed  at 
Liverpool,  and  to-night  he  has,  or  seems  to  have, 
a  hio-h  fever  and  to  be  sufferino;  with  his  head, 
am  seriously  alarmed  about  him,  and  only  await 
your  visit  to  decide  whether  or  not  to  telegraph  his 
friends,  who  are  mine,  as  well,"  was  the  response. 

As  we  walked  to  the  hotel   he  informed  me  that 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  493 

he  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  banker,  a  near  relative 
of  Charles  Francis  Adams,  and  that  having  recently 
graduated  at  Harvard,  he  had  come  to  Europe  to 
make  the  "  grand  tour"  with  his  particular  friend 
Mr.  Edwards,  the  sick  man,  preliminary  to  settling 
down  to  the  stucl}^  of  a  profession. 

I  found  Mr.  Edwards  seriously  and  strangely 
sick,  with  all  the  symjDtoms  of  typhoid  fever,  ac- 
companied by  a  condition  of  stupor  which  almost 
amounted  to  coma,  and  which  neither  the  stage  of 
the  disease  nor  the  violence  of  the  general  symptoms 
justified. 

''He  has  typhoid  fever  most  certainly,  but  the 
stupor  puzzles  me,"  I  said.  ''■  Has  he  taken  opium 
in  any  form  ?" 

"Opium!  You  astonish  me!  He  has  taken 
nothing  to  my  knowledge.  But  do  you  consider 
him  seriously — alarmingly — sick  ?  Shall  I  tele- 
graph our  mutual  friends,  Doctor?" 

"  It  apj)ears  to  me  that  he  is  narcotized — that  he 
has  taken  an  opiate  and  is  profoundly  under  its 
influence.  This  condition  of  stupor  so  obscures  the 
case  that  for  the  moment  I  cannot  form  a  definite 
conclusion  as  to  its  gravity.  The  principal  source 
of  danger  is  the  narcotism,  which  must  terminate 
one  way  or  the  other  before  his  friends  can  arrive 
or  possibly  before  you  can  receive  an  answer  from 
them.  Delay  the  dispatch  at  least  until  to-morrow, 
and  send  at  once  for  a  nurse  to  carry  out  my  direc- 
tions." 

''  A  nurse,  Doctor  !  I  assure  you  that  I  am  as 
good  a  nurse  as  you  can  find,  and  Edwards  is  ac- 
customed to  my  ways.  We  were  raised  together, 
and  he  prefers  me  to  any  one  else.  I  will  take 
care  of  him,  and  see  that  your  instructions  are 
carried  out  to  the  letter." 

"  I  appreciate  your   sentiments  and  your  inten- 


494  A  doctor's  experiences 

tioris.  They  do  honor  to  you,  but  the  necessity  for 
a  nurse  is  absolute.  The  attentions  of  a  skilled 
nurse  in  typhoid  fever  are  worth  all  the  medicine 
in  the  world.  I  had  rather  trust  myself  to  Miss 
Irwin's  faithful  and  intelligent  care  under  such 
circumstances  than  to  the  daily  consultations  of  the 
entire  faculty.  This  case  under  the  most  favorable 
condition  will  last  for  three  weeks,  and  with  all 
of  your  solicitude  for  your  old  friend  you  would 
break  down  in  three  days.  It  is  neither  your  head 
nor  your  heart  that  I  distrust,  but  your  legs  and 
your  backbone — which  would  become  utterly  stiff 
and  worthless  before  the  disease  had  half  run  its 
course.  I  will  give  you  the  address  of  one  of  my 
best  nurses,  and  you  must  send  for  her  to-night. '^ 

"All  right,  then,  Doctor,  if  you  put  it  in  that 
way  !  Grive  me  the  address,  and  I  will  go  and 
fetch  her  without  delay." 

This  conversation  had  taken  place  at  the  bed- 
side of  the  sick  man,  who  was  incapable  of  hear- 
ing a  word  of  it,  and  over  whom  I  had  been  work- 
ing faithfully  all  the  while  with  the  result  of 
inducing  some  dilation  of  the  contracted  pupils  and 
a  slight  return  of  consciousness.  As  the  night 
was  far  advanced,  I  wrote  out  minute  instructions 
for  the  expected  nurse,  gave  Dwight  my  address. 
and  left  the  sick  chamber,  promising  to  return  as 
early  as  possible  on  the  succeeding  morning.  Re- 
turning promptly  the  next  day,  I  found  the  patient 
alone — neither  Dwight  nor  the  nurse  being  in  at- 
tendance— and  in  precisely  the  same  condition  of 
stupor  as  at  my  first  visit.  Knocking  at  the  door  of 
Dwight' s  chamber^  he  opened  it  after  considerable 
delay,  yawning,  rubbing  his  eyes  and  profuse  of  ex- 
pletives because,  as  he  muttered  to  himself,  '^ a  devil 
of  a  garcon  had  disturbed  a  gentleman  before  day- 
break after  he  had  danced    all   nio:ht   at  matille. 


IN    THREE   CONTINENTS.  495 

Quickly  perceiving  his  mistake,  and  never  dreaming 
that  he  had  been  overheard,  his  countenance  in- 
stantly glowed  with  its  wonted  smile,  and  the  old  se- 
ductive tone  came  back  to  his  voice,  as,  with  the  most  • 
consummate  assurance,  he  exclaimed:  ''Why, 
Doctor,  is  it  you?  Walk  in  and  take  a  seat!  I 
left  Edwards  only  a  moment  since,  to  wash  up  and 
refresh  myself  a  little,  as  I  had  passed  the  entire 
night  at  his  bedside.  I  was  all  alone,  you  see,  and 
had  to  carry  out  your  instructions  single-handed. 
Have  you  seen  him  this  morning?" 

"But  why  single-handed  ?  Where  is  the  nurse?" 
1  inquired. 

''Well,  you  see.  Doctor,"  his  smile  growing 
brighter  and  his  voice  more  insinuating  with  each 
word,  "everything  went  wrong  after  you  left  last 
night.  Leaving  Edwards  in  charge  of  one  of  the 
servants,  I  took  a  carriage  and  went  in  search  of 
the  nurse,  tbinking  that  the  surest  way  of  getting 
her.  Unfortunately  I  gave  the  coachman  the  scrap 
of  paper  upon  which  you  had  written  her  name  and 
address,  without  observing  either,  and  directed 
him  to  drive  to  the  locality  indicated  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  promising  him  a  good  'pour  hoir  for  prompt- 
ness and  dispatch.  He  drove  off  like  the  wind, 
thinking  only  of  the  expected  reward,  and  in  a  few 
moments  collided  with  a  hand-cart,  which  came 
near  sending  me  to  kingdom-come,  and  broke  the 
fiacre  to  splinters.  I  was  consequently  forced  to 
call  another  cahht  and  to  return  to  the  hotel  to 
seek  a  bottle  of  arnica,  with  which  to  bathe  my 
bruised  and  aching  shins,  and  to  leave  the  nurse 
for  another  trip  this  morning,  as  I  found  the  pa- 
tient in  no  condition  to  be  left  longer  in  the  hands 
of  a  cjcircon.  Voila  toute — except  that  I  had  to 
play  nurse  solitary  and  alone  for  the  remainder  of 
the  night." 


496  A  doctor's  experiences 

Contrasting  this  plausible  story  witli  the  em- 
phatic utterances  which  I  had  just  heard  from  his 
lips,  I  was  utterly  amazed  and  confounded  ;  but, 
as  I  gazed  into  his  soft  blue  and  seemingly  truth- 
revealing  eyes,  and  listened  to  the  honeyed  accents 
of  his  beguiling  tongue,  I  inyoluntarily  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  my  own  senses,  and  concluded  that 
either  he  or  i  had  been  dreaming. 

"  But  why  did  you  not  stop  at  my  house  as  you 
passed  by  on  your  return  to  the  hotel,  for  you  must 
have  known  that  there  was  arnica  there  in  abundance, 
and  that  I  would  have  immediately  sent  William 
in  search  of  the  nurse?'" 

"Well,  I  thought  of  doing  so.  Indeed,  it  was 
my  first  impulse.  But  then  I  remembered  how 
faithfully  you  had  worked  over  Edwards  ;  how 
late  it  was  when  you  had  retired,  and  how  much 
you  must  have  stood  in  need  of  repose,  and  I  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  an  outrage  to  disturb  you, 
especially  as  I  knew  that  I  could  take  proper  care 
of  the  patient." 

Completely  won  by  his  kind  sympathy  for  me 
I  answered  kindly  : 

"  You  are  a  good  fellow,  D wight,  and  I  shall 
not  quarrel  with  you  over  that  which  is  so  clearly 
the  result  of  an  accident.  Send  for  the  nurse, 
however,  at  once,  for  Edwards  is  a  very  sick  man, 
and  absolutely  needs  her  services." 

'^I  have  reflected  a  great  deal  on  that  subject. 
Doctor,  and  I  am  convinced  that  Edwards  will  do 
better  in  my  hands  than  in  those  of  a  nurse.  We 
know  each  other  so  well,  we  have  been  friends  for  so 
long  a  time  that  he  naturally  prefers  me  to  a 
stranger,  and  I  am  both  willing  and  able  to  take 
care  of  him.  In  fact  I  promised  his  mother  to 
nurse  him  in  case  of  sickness,  and  as  greatly  as  1 
respect  you  I  must,  as  Edwards'   particular  friend 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  497 

and  natural  protector,  decline  to  have  a  nurse  for 
him,"  was  his  emphatic  response. 

'  ^ All  right.  I  decline  all  further  connection  with 
the  case.  Good  morning,  sir.  But  before  I  go  I 
must  inform  you  that,  in  some  way,  Mr.  Edwards 
has  had  a  dose  of  opium  administered  to  him,  both 
on  yesterday  and  to-day.  He  is  either  a  victim  of 
the  opium  habit  or  some  one  is  trying  to  poison 
him." 

"  My  God,  Doctor !  What  do  you  mean  ?  You 
tell  me  that  my  friend  is  in  danger  of  being  pois- 
oned, and  talk  of  leaving  him  at  the  same  time. 
Some  one  may  suspect  me  if  you  abandon  the  case. 
I  entreat  you  to  remain." 

'"'  Unless  the  nurse  is  instantly  sent  for  I  shall 
leave.  That  is  my  condition,  and  it  remains  with 
you  to  accept  it  or  not." 

"All  right!  Since  you  make  a  point  of  it  I  ac- 
oept  your  condition,  of  course  =  Will  you  have  the 
kindness  to  send  for  her,  as  you  originally  pro- 
posed?" 

"Certainly  !  I  will  send  William  with  my  car- 
riage for  her  at  this  moment,  and  I  promise  you  that 
I  shall  find  out  where  this  daily  dose  of  opium 
oomes  from  as  well." 

The  nurse  was  brought,  duly  instructed  and  in- 
stalled, and  for  several  days  there  was  no  change 
in  the  status  of  affairs  at  the  hotel.  Edwards  con- 
tinued to  be  very  sick — the  same  stupor  manifest- 
ing itself  daily,  but  wliile  Dwight  exhibited  his 
wonted  anxiety  and  solicitude,  he  made  no  further 
reference  to  his  telegraphic  message  to  "mutual 
friends  at  home." 

It  was  made  more  and  more  patent  every  moment 

that  Edwards  was  kept  under   the  influence   of  a 

narcotic,  although  I  instructed  both  the  nurse  and 

Dwight  to  be  continually  on  the   alert  to  discover 

32 


498 


A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 


whence  it  came,  and  to  prevent  its  administration. 
I  could  not  believe  that  it  was  self-administered, 
nor  could  I  bring  myself  to  suspect  Dwiglit,  as  lie 
bad  apparently  no  motive  for  jeopardizing  the  life 
of  bis  friend,  and  bis  attentions  to  bim  were  tbe 
tenderest  and  most  persistent  tbat  one  man  ever 
lavished  upon  another.  Indeed,  so  solicitous  did 
he  seem  for  his  comrade's  comfort  and  safety  that 
he  would  scarcely  permit  the  nurse  to  discbarge 
her  legitimate  duties,  while  he  remained  many 
hours  daily  at-the  side  of  the  sick  man  administer- 
ing the  medicines  and  the  nourishment  which  I  had 
prescribed  with  bis  own  hands,  and  in  the  most 
exact  and  systematic  manner.  He  seemed  to  think 
only  of  the  necessities  of  the  patient,  and  to  be 
willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  of  personal  comfort 
to  relieve  them.  Such  apparent  devotion  I  had 
never  witnessed  upon  the  part  of  one  unconnected 
by  the  ties  of  blood  with  the  object  of  his  ministra- 
tions. 

I  observed  however  that  his  solicitude  did  not 
interfere  with  his  luxuriousness,  and  that  he  lived 
most  sumptuously,  dining  always  a  la  carte  in  his 
own  room,  and  regaling  himself  with  the  richest 
dishes  and  the  finest  wines  of  the  hotel.  When  I 
twitted  bim  on  his  extravagance  and  self-indulgence 
he  only  smiled  blandly,  and  said  carelessly :  "I  am 
an  only  son,  you  see,  and  have  been  spoiled  from 
my  birth.  Besides,  the  old  gentleman  told  me  to 
have  a  good  time,  and  he  is  punctual  and  liberal  in 
his  remittances." 

Having  been  called  one  morning  at  an  unusually 
early  hour  to  another  patient  in  the  hotel,  I  took 
occasion  to  visit  Edwards.  To  my  astonishment  I 
found  him  unattended,  and  at  the  same  time  un- 
usually intelligent — the  habitual  stupor  baving  in 
a  great  measure  passed  away.     D wight's  chamber 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  49^ 

having  no  occupant,  I  summoned  the  nurse,  who, 
in  response  to  my  upbraidings  for  her  negligence, 
assured  me  that  he  (Dwight)  had  ordered  her  to 
retire,  as  he  proposed  to  take  charge  of  the  patient 
for  the  night,  and  preferred  to  be  alone.  All  this 
appeared  most  extraordinar}^,  so  inexplicable,  in 
fact,  that  I  determined  to  take  advantage  of  Ed- 
wards' return  to  consciousness  and  intelligence  to 
make  some  inquiries  respecting  this  mysterious  and 
contradictory  bosom  friend,  whose  conduct  puzzled 
me  the  more  with  each  new  development. 

Attracting  the  patient's  attention,  I  asked  him  : 
^'  How  long  have  you  known  your  friend  Mr. 
Dwight?" 

"Mr.  Dwight?  My  friend  Mr.  Dwight?"  he 
inquired. 

"  Yes,  your  friend  Mr.  Dwight — the  young  man 
who  has  nursed  you  for  the  last  week,"  I  said. 

"Ah  !  Now  I  understand  you.  Is  his  name 
Dwight?  I  did  not  know  it  ;  I  never  saw  him  un- 
til the  day  I  was  taken  sick,  when  he  came  into 
my  room,  introduced  himself  simply  as  a  brother 
American,  and  offered  to  get  his  particular  friend. 
Doctor  Warren-Bey  to  visit  me,"  he  answered. 

"  My  God  !  Is  tiiat  possible  ?"  I  exclaimed,  a 
light  breaking  upon  my  mind  which  nearly  de- 
prived me  of  the  power  of  speech.  "  Then  he  is 
the  greatest  liar  unhung,  and  I  have  no  doubt  a 
consummate  villain  as  well.  Where  is  your  money  ? 
Where  are  your  valuables?" 

"  My  letter  of  credit  ought  to  be  in  my  trunk. 
My  pocket-book  was  under  my  pillow.  I  left  my 
diamond  studs  in  my  shirt." 

An  examination  of  the  localities  mentioned  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  the  various  articles  enumerated 
had  disappeared,  and  a  thorough    search   through 


500  A  doctor's  experiences 

I- 

tlie  chamber  made  it  patent    that  thev    had   been 
stolen. 

''^Then  I  have  been  robbed  and  ruined,"  ex- 
claimed the  sick  man,  now  thoroughly  aroused  and 
conscious.  "  Help  me  !  In  God's  name  help  me, 
for  I  am  unable  to  help  myself." 

"  Yes,  you  certainly  have  been  robbed — 
thoroughly  robbed !  D wight  has  appropriated 
your  money,  your  letter  of  credit,  and  your  dia- 
mond studs,  but,  thank  heaven  !  your  life  is  safe — 
3^ou  have  not  been  murdered  as  well." 

'•'  My  life.  Doctor?     What  can  you  mean?" 

^^  I  mean  simply  this  :  In  order  to  carry  out  his 
scheme  of  rascality  the  more  effectually,  he  has 
administered  an  opiate  to  you  every  day  since  you 
fell  ill." 

He  hid  his  face  in  the  pillow  and  sobbed  like  a 
child  ;  while  my  mind  taking  a  rapid  survey  of 
the  events  of  the  week,  saw  no  longer  "through  a 
glass,  darkly,"  but  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
whole  situation — understood  D wight's  pretended 
solicitude  for  his  '^  sick  friend  ;"  his  opposition  to 
the  employment  of  a  nurse  ;  his  embarrassment 
when  I  spoke  of  the  '^  daily  dose  of  opium  ;"  his 
protracted  and  solitary  vigils  at  the  bedside  of  his 
""  old  comrade  ;"  his  order  to  the  garde  malade  to 
retire  for  the  night  that  he  might  watch  the  '^  sick 
man,"  and  all  the  details  of  the  ingenious  plot  by 
which  he  had  made  a  fool  of  me  and  had  succeeded 
in  robbing  poor  Edwards  of  his  money  and  effects. 

"  He  has  played  his  little  game,  Mr.  Edwards, 
and  played  it  well.  Now  I  will  play  mine^  and  if 
he  is  on  this  side  of  the  ocean  I  shall  find  him  if  I 
have  to  devote  to  it  the  remainder  of  my  life  and 
all  that  I  possess  in  the  world,"  I  said,  thoroughly 
aroused  and  as  indignant  as  if  I  had  been  his  vic- 
tim, for  I  felt  that  he  had  used  me  as  a  tool  to  ac- 


IX   THREE   CONTINENTS.  501 

complish  his  scheme  of  villainy,  and   that  I  had 
been  more  of  a  dupe  than  the  helpless  invalid. 

Hurrying  to  the  telegraph  office,  I  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  Morton,  Rose  &  Co.,  of  London — the 
bankers  who  had  given  the  credit — informing  them 
of  the  robbery  and  instructing  them  to  pay  no 
draft  bearing  the  name  of  J.  B.  Edioards,  as  I 
knew  that  Dwight  must  forge  his  signature  in  order 
to  realize  money  on  the  stolen  letter. 

Then  remembering  that  T  had  seen  Dwight  play- 
ing billiards  on  the  preceding  day  with  the  son  of 
a  well-known  American  banker,  I  hastened  to  the 
father's  office  to  ascertain  if  he  had  had  business 
relations  with  the  establishment. 

''Are  you  acquainted  with  a  young  man  who 
calls  himself  Dwight?"  I  inquired  of  the  head  of 
the  house. 

''  Quite  well,"  was  the  answer.  "  He  has  been 
coming  in  here  for  the  last  week,  telling  of  the 
sickness  of  a  friend  of  his,  Mr.  J.  R.  Edwards, 
and  seeking  to  obtain  money  to  meet  their  neces- 
sary expenses  at  the  hotel,  their  joint  letter  of 
credit  being  made  out  in  Edwards'  name,  and  he 
being  too  ill  to  sign  a  check  or  to  make  any  ar- 
rangement with  reference  to  the  matter.  Yester- 
day, however,  it  was  all  satisfactory  arranged,  for 
Dwight  brought  the  letter  of  credit  itself  and  a 
check  duly  signed  by  his  friend,  who  it  seems  is 
now  much  better." 

"  Did  you  cash  the  check?" 

''  Certainly,  for  it  was  all  en  regle^  and  we  were 
glad  to  accommodate  the  young  man,  who  belongs 
to  one  of  the  first  families  in  Boston,  and  is  him- 
self one  of  the  most  charming  fellows  I  ever  met. 
He  and  Willie  have  been  playing  billiards  for  a 
week,  and  have  become  fast  friends."' 

"•  For  how  much  was  the  check  ?  " 


502  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

^^  For  about  £200,  T  believe.  He  is  very  wealthy^ 
and  has  been  having  a  good  time." 

'^  Then  you  have  lost  that  amount,  for  the  letter 
was  stolen  and  the  check  is  a  forgery." 

''Impossible,  sir!  He  is  related  to  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  and  of  an  excellent  family.  I 
know  all  about  him." 

''  From  what  he  has  told  you  of  himself.  He  is 
a  liar,  a  thief,  and  a  forger.  He  has  duped  you  as 
he  did  me — and  unfortunately  to  the  tune  of  a 
thousand  dollars.  I  am  Edwards'  physician.  He 
was  not  in  condition  to  sign  a  check  on  yesterday, 
and  he  has  discovered  this  morning  that  he  has 
been  robbed  of  his  money,  his  letter  of  credit,  and 
his  diamond  studs.  Mr.  D wight  is  no  friend  of 
his — but  is  a  regular  impostor — a  thorough-paced 
scoundrel.'' 

''Is  that  really  so.  Doctor  Warren?  Could  1 
have  been  as  much  deceived  in  a  man  ?  Thank 
God  !  After  all,  the  loss  will  fall  on  Morton,  Kose 
&  Co.  and  not  on  me.  I  sent  the  check  for  collec- 
tion by  the  mail  of  last  night,  and  it  will  certainly 
be  paid  on  presentation  this  morning." 

"  And  I  have  just  telegraphed  them  that  their 
letter  has  been  stolen,  and  that  the  check  is  a 
forgery." 

"  Then  you  have  done  me  a  great  injury — you 
have  caused  me  to  lose  £200.  Was  it  any  business 
of  yours  ?     Why  did  you  interfere  ?" 

"  In  the  interest  of  justice — for  the  protection  of  a 
defenseless  patient.  The  question  is  not  as  to  who 
can  best  afford  to  lose  the  money — it  is  one  of 
equity — of  common  honesty.  I  certainly  intended 
to  do  you  no  wrong,  but  acted  as  the  friend  and 
protector  of  a  powerless  man  and  suffering  pa- 
tient who  had  appealed  to  me  to  assist  him." 

"  At  any  rate  I  shall  lose  the  money.     The  re- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  503 

suit  is  the  same  whatever  may  have  been  j^our  in- 
tentions." 

^'Itis  immaterial  tome  what  you  may  think 
about  the  matter,  sir.  I  have  simply  clone  my 
duty  and  I  accept  the  consequences.  Justice  is  not 
a  thing  to  palter  over  or  to  be  made  a  matter  of 
favor  or  affection.  I  advise  you  to  have  D wight 
found  at  once  and  to  force  him  to  disgorge  before 
he  has  wasted  the  money.  In  that  way  you  can 
protect  yourself  and  Mr.  Edwards  as  well." 

"  As  to  that,  I  consider  a  search  for  him  useless. 
He  would  not  be  such  a  fool  as  to  remain  in  Paris 
under  the  circumstances." 

The  banker  as  he  said  this  left  his  desk  and 
came  into  the  body  of  his  office,  and  commenced  to 
walk  to  and  fro — from  the  rear  to  the  street  door — - 
perfectly  wild  with  excitement  on  account  of  his 
loss,  and  with  indignation  toward  me  because  of 
the  part  which  I  had  taken  in  the  matter.  Sud- 
denly he  stopped,  and  crying  out:  ''Stop  !  Stop  ! 
Stop!"  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  rushed  into  the 
street,  hatless  and  with  bofch  hands  waving  in  the 
air,  in  hot  pursuit — as  I  soon  discovered — of  a 
gorgeous  carriage  which  was  passing  at  the 
moment.  Following  him  with  my  eyes  I  saw  the 
carriage  stop,  and  Dwight — looking  magnificent 
in  a  new  overcoat  of  the  latest  style,  and  a  beaver 
that  outshone  a  looking-glass — descend  from  it, 
and  greet  the  pursuing  banker  with  every  mani- 
festation of  satisfaction  at  the  rencontre.  What 
fools  !  I  involuntarily  ejaculated  to  myself — the 
one  for  not  immediately  escaping  with  his  booty, 
and  the  other  for  showing  his  hand  before  the  quarry 
is  fairly  captured.  The  banker  proved  an  adept  of 
the  first  order,  however,  for,  instead  of  accusing 
Dwight  and  thus  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  re- 
enter  his   carriage  and  escape,  he  saluted  him  in 


504  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  most  friendly  manner.  ''Did  you  intend  to 
skip  by  a  friend  in  that  style,  my  boy — without  even 
stopping  to  pass  the  compliments  of  the  morning 
with  him?  Come  in  and  make  yourself  at  home 
while  Willie  steps  out  to  order  a  hock  apiece  for 
the  party.  The  Doctor  will  join  us,  I  know,  for 
he  looks  rather  thirsty  to-day,"  he  said  ta 
^the  young  man,  as  the  twain  walked  hand  in 
hand,  most  confidingly,  toward  the  banker's  of- 
fice. Dwight's  cheek  blanched,  and  his  insinuat- 
ing smile  deserted  his  eyes  as  he  met  me,  but,  re- 
gaining the  mastery  of  himself  by  an  eifort,  he 
gave  me  his  hand  and  said  cheerily  :  "I  congratu- 
late you  on  your  treatment  of  Edwards'  case,  my 
dear  Doctor.  You  have  certainly  pulled  him 
through  most  beautifully.  When  I  left  him  this 
morning  he  was  evidently  better — very  much  bet- 
ter— and  it  is  all  plain  sailing  now^  if  I  under- 
stand the  situation." 

Willie  soon  returned,  not,  however,  with  "  a 
hoch  apiece,"  but  with  a  policeman,  who,  to  the 
consternation  of  D wight,  had  him  hand-cuffed  in 
an  instant,  and  en  route  in  his  elegant  equipage 
for  the  cabinet  of  the  commissary  of  the  arrondisse- 
ment,  where  he  was  carried  to  mazas  on  a  charge 
of  theft  and  forgery.  I  never  saw  so  astonished  and 
humiliated  an  individual  as  poor  D wight  when  the 
sergeant  de  ville  confronted  him  ;  but  at  the  same 
time  I  read  in  unmistakable  characters  upon  his 
countenance  the  words  "  old  offender,"  and  so  it 
turned  out  to  be.  He  was  a  fugitive  from  justice  at 
that  very  moment,  notwithstanding  the  charm  of 
person  and  fascination  of  address  with  which  he  bad 
seduced  me,  and  all  who  encountered  him  into  the 
conviction  that  he  was  one  of  nature's  noblemen — 
a  gentleman  by  birth,  education  and  instinct. 

Upon  searching  him,  about  eight  hundred  dollars 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  505 

were  found  in  his  pocket-book,  and  all  of  the  valu- 
ables upon  his  person — much  to  the  delight  of  the 
banker  and  my  patient. 

Never  dreaming  that  Edwards  had  sufficiently- 
recovered  to  realize  his  loss  or  that  he  could  be 
suspected  of  crime^  Paris  was  too  much  of  a  para- 
dise to  be  lost  to  him  J  with  his  purse  filled  with 
the  means  of  securing  its  pleasures,  and  he  lin- 
gered to  have  his  fill  of  them,  with  the  result  of 
finding  himself  in  prison  with  the  certainty  of  con- 
viction staring  him  in  the  face. 

On  the  succeeding  day  he  sent  for  the  banker, 
had  the  eight  hundred  dollars  restored  to  him  and 
the  jewelry  returned  to  Edwards,  gave  him  his  real 
name  and  the  address  of  his  father,  with  the  as- 
surance that  the  deficiency  of  two  hundred  dollars 
should  be  made  good,  and  then  plead  so  piteously 
for  mercy  that  when  the  day  for  his  trial  arrived 
no  one  appeared  against  him,  and  he  was  released 
with  the  infliction  of  no  other  punishment  save 
that  embodied  in  a  peremptory  order  to  leave  the 
country  within  twenty-four  hours. 

He  really  was  a  member  of  an  excellent  New 
England  family,  and  had  received  a  regular  college 
education,  but  he  had  evinced  a  propensity  to 
swindle  from  his  youth,  and  had  finally  become  so 
seriously  involved  in  some  discreditable  affair  as 
to  render  it  necessary  for  him  to  escape  clandes- 
tinely from  the  country  under  an- assumed  name. 

His  father  came  forward  subsequently  and  paid 
the  deficiency  of  two  hundred  dollars,  while  the  son 
enlisted  in  the  English  army  ;  and  when  I  last 
heard  from  him  he  had  so  impressed  his  superiors 
by  his  splendid  appearance,  his  c'ourtly  manners, 
and  his  charming  address  that  they  had  promoted 
him    to    a   conficlential    clerkship   at   Woolwich — 


506  A  doctor's  experiences 

where  he  will  inevitahly  come  to  grief  again,  as 
he  is  a  swindler  by  instinct  and  diction. 

Edwards  finally  recovered,  to  find  himself  con- 
fronted by  a  demand  from  the  hotel  proprietor  for 
the -whole  amount  of  D  wight's  board  bill,  and  to 
have  his  baggage  seized  as  security  for  its  payment, 
under  the  pretext  that  they  were  friends  and  co- 
adjutors. After  a  protracted  lawsuit  his  defense 
was  admitted,  but  the  expenses  to  which  he  was 
subjected  amount  to  nearl}^  as  large  a  sum  as  that 
which  D wight  had  expended,  and  he  left  the  coun- 
try, thanking  God  to  have  escaped  with  his  life, 
and  cursing  the  swindlers,  intjigenous  and  exotic_, 
who  infest  it. 

My  dispatch  to  Morton,  Rose  &  Co.  arrived  at 
the  very  moment  when  the  check  was  presented  for 
payment  and  saved  them  from  loss,  while  it  left  the 
Paris  banker  to  bear  the  burden  of  the  entire  trans- 
action— which  fortunately  proved  to  be  only  a  tem- 
porary one,  as  I  have  already  related.  As  the  one 
party  never  acknowledged  the  favor  rendered  by  my 
intervention,  and  the  other  was  made  seriously  an- 
gry because  of  it,  I  was  taught  a  lesson  of  practical 
wisdom  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  remember  and 
to  profit  by  for  the  remainder  of  my  life,  viz :  that 
it  is  good  policy  to  let  every  man  pull  his  own 
chestnuts  out  of  the  fire,  whatever  may  be  the 
temptation  to  assist  him.  Disinterested  kindness  is 
but  little  appreciated  in  this  world,  and  the  surest 
means  of  involving  one  in  embarrassment  and  diffi- 
culty. It  never  pays,  and  it  is  certain  to  result 
in  disappointment  and  regret  in  the  long  run. 


IN   THREE   CONTmENIS.  507 


LETTER  XXXIV. 

LIFE  IX  PARIS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

Many  persons  of  note  have  been  my  patients  in 
Paris.  In  the  summer  of  1877  the  Hon.  Thomas 
A.  Hendricks,  now  the  Vice  -President  of  the  United 
States,  visited  Paris  and  sought  my  professional 
services.  Though  not  seriously  ill,  he  was  suffer- 
ing greatly  from  nervous  prostration,  resulting 
from  the  intense  excitement  incident  to  the  Presi- 
dential campaign.  I  found  him  a  man  of  unusual 
purity  and  elevation  of  character,  as  well  as  of 
great  grasp  and  clearness  of  intellect.  With  the 
simplicity  of  a  child  he  combines  the  suavity  of  a 
courtier  and  the  dignity  of  a  statesman.  Though 
tenaciously  adhering  to  his  own  opinions,  he  is  as 
respectful  to  his  adversaries  as  he  is  considerate  of 
his  friends.  It  was  hard  to  realize  that  so  modest 
and  unpretending  a  man  had  just  been  a  leader  in 
one  of  the  greatest  political  contests  that  had  ever 
convulsed  the  country,  and  the  idol  of  thousands  of 
devoted  partisans.  Plain  but  neat  in  dress,  un- 
assuming but  winning  in  address,  stately  but  grace- 
ful in  carriage,  simple  but  entertaining  in  conver- 
sation, and  with  a  sweet  smile  perpetually  illumin- 
ating his  benignant  countenance,  the  merest  tyro 
in  worldly  experience  would  segregate  him  from 
the  "common  herd"  and  salute  him  as  a  gentle- 
man by  birth  and  a  leader  by  intuition.  A  little 
incident  occurred  under  my  own  observation  which 


508  A  doctor's  experiences 

amply  illustrates  his  character.  I  was  talking  with 
him  one  clay  in  the  ]_xjrte  cocliere  of  his  hotel,  when 
an  individual  who  had  rendered  himself  notorious 
in  Paris  by  ostentatiously  wearing  a  suit  of  Con- 
federate gray  twelve  years  after  the  surrender^ 
and  insulting  all  who  disagreed  with  him  ia 
regard  to  the  right  of  secession — though  he  spent 
the  entire  period  of  the  war  abroad,  removed  from 
danger — came  up  and  launched  out  in  a  vio- 
lent tirade  against  Greneral  Grant,  who  was  then 
in  Europe.  An  expression  of  sternness  immedi- 
ately replaced  the  w^onted  smile  upon  Mr.  Hen- 
dricks' countenance,  and,  with  an  angry  tone  in 
his  voice,  he  said:  "If  you  think  that  such  re- 
marks please  me  because  I  am  a  Democrat  and  op- 
posed to  General  Grant  politically,  you  make  a  sad 
mistake,  sir.  He  is  an  American,  and  one  of  our 
greatest  men,  whatever  may  be  his  political  affili- 
ation.    You   cannot    abuse  him  in  my  presence." 

With  a  look  in  which  amazement  and  humili- 
ation were  commingled,  the  gentleman  in  posthu-. 
mous  gray  slunk  away,  believing  himself  a  martyr^ 
to  his  principles,  and  amazed  at  the  "  infatuation 
of  the  grand  old  party  in  selecting  such  a  milk  and 
water  Democrat  for  the  second  place  upon  its 
ticket,"  as  he  expressed  it  on  various  occasions 
afterward.  If  this  timely  rebuke  did  disgust  and 
alienate  the  partisan  to  whom  it  was  addressed,  it 
correspondingly  delighted  and  enthused  the  crowd 
of  more  reasonable  compatriots  who  overheard  it, 
and  who  recognized  in  it  the  true  ring  of  patriot- 
ism and  of  good  breeding. 

Although  I  did  not  prescribe  for  General  Grant, 
I  met  him  frequently  during  his  visit  to  Paris,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  forming  an  accurate  esti- 
mate of  his  character.  Between  General  Torbert, 
who  was  then   the    consul-oreneral    of  the   Unitedi 


IX    THREE    COXTIXENTS.  509 

States  at  Paris,  and  General  Grant  there  existed  a 
close  and  tender  friendship,  and,  as  he  was  like- 
wise my  most  confidential  friend,  I  saw  the  ex- 
President  daily,  and  under  circumstances  which 
precluded  all  disguises.  Under  the  inflnences  of 
the  inevitable  cigar,  the  comfort  of  a  cozy  arm- 
chair and  the  isolation  of  a  cozy  and  private  sanctum , 
the  real  character  of  General  Grant  came  to  the 
front,  and  he  appeared  precisely  as  nature  and 
circumstances  had  made  him.  To  my  surprise  he 
left  his  reticence  at  home  and  was  absolutely  lo- 
quacious, discussing  men  and  events  with  great 
freedom  and  candor,  and  showing  the  possession  of 
a  keen  appreciation  of  things  in  general,  a  knowl- 
edge of  human  character,  a  soundness  of  judgment, 
a  memory  for  details  and  a  kindness  of  heart  which 
are  not  only  extraordinary  in  themselves,  but  prove 
him  to  be  equally  a  great  and  a  good  man.  He 
discussed  every  person  of  note  whom  the  progress 
of  the  war  and  the  process  of  reconstruction  had 
rendered  conspicuous  upon  either  side,  and,  without 
a  trace  of  prejudice,  gave  his  estimate  of  their  ser- 
vices and  character.  From  his  lips  I  heard  a  de- 
tailed history  of  his  campaigns  and  of  his  admin- 
istration, wdiich  far  exceeded  in  interest  and  in 
aptness  of  illustration  anything  that  has  been,  or 
will  ever  be,  written  in  these  regards,  and  I  con- 
sidered myself  as  being  especially  fortunate  in  thus 
having  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  an  admission  into 
the  inner  circle  of  his  thoughts,  feelings  and  ideas. 
As  a  result  of  these  experiences,  1  have  ever  since 
entertained  the  opinion  that  General  Grant  is  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  men  that  the  world  has 
produced,  and  that  his  reputation  will  be  the  more 
appreciated  in  history  as  it  is  the  more  thoroughly 
studied  and  understood  ;  that  it  will   not  only  live 


510  A  doctor's  experiences 

througli  the  coming  ages^  but  will  expand  and 
brighten  continually  in  the  lapse  of  time. 

Among  other  things  I  found  that  his  admira- 
tion for  the  genius  and  character  of  General  Lee 
was  not  less  fervent  than  my  own — was  not  behind 
that  of  the  most  enthusiastic  Southerner,  and  that^ 
while  he  regarded  his  ultimate  triumph  over  our 
great  chieftain  as  the  crowning  glory  of  his  life,  he 
fully  a])preciated  the  circumstances  which  had  given 
him  the  victory,  and  honored  his  adversary  the 
more  on  their  account. 

I  discovered  also  that  the  popular  idea  respecting 
his  blindness  to  the  errors  and  faults  of  his  friends 
was  entirely  erroneous,  and  that  his  fidelity  in 
every  instance  had  chronicled  the  triumph  of  his 
heart  over  his  head  ;  that  he  had  stood  by  them  to- 
the  death,  not  because  of  an  ignorance  of  their 
deficiencies,  but  for  the  reason  that  they  possessed 
his  love  and  sympathy.  Call  this  weakness  if  you 
choose,  but,  in  my  judgment,  it  embodies  and 
illustrates  the  whole  catalogue  of  human  virtues — 
that  it  compensates  in  moral  grandeur  for  all  defi- 
ciencies in  other  regards.  A  loyalty  to  the  obli- 
gations of  friendship  which  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  popu- 
lar clamor,  and  assumes  the  responsibility  of  its- 
faith  at  any  23ersonal  sacrifice,  lifts  its  possessor 
above  the  ordinary  standards  of  humanity.  The 
acts  which  such  a  sentiment  inspires  are  purified 
in  their  inception,  while  they  clothe  their  author 
in  a  panoply  of  rectitude  which  defies  alike  the 
shaft  of  criticism  and  the  fangs  of  malice. 

I  can  but  regard  General  Grant's  uncompromis-^ 
ing  fidelity  in  this  regard  as  at  once  the  noblest- 
attribute  of  his  character  and  the  keystone  which; 
strengthens  and  perfects  the  fabric  of  his  fame.i 
Any  man  can  be  true  when  the  sun  shines  and  the 
winds  slumber,  bat  it  requires  a  brave   and  great 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  511 

one  to  remain  steadfast  when  the  clouds  lower  and 
the  tempest  rages,  and  it  has  been  the  rule  of  Ms 
life  to  display  most  of  trust  and  sym^Dathy  in  the 
hour  of  greatest  peril  and  the  most  extreme  ad- 
versity. 

I  have  referred  to  General  Torbert,  and  I  must 
linger  to  relate  the  history  of  his  sad  fate,  and  to 
drop  a  tear  of  sympathy  upon  his  honored   grave. 

A  soldier  by  instinct  and  education,  he  was  ig- 
norant of  politics,  too  trustful  of  men,  unfamiliar  with 
the  routine  of  business  and  devoted  to  enjoyment, 
but  honest,  brave  and  loyal  to  the  last  degree.  No 
man  could  have  been  more  out  of  place  than  he, 
for  his  position  imperatively  demanded  those  things 
in  which  he  was  most  deficient — a  large  commer- 
cial experience,  and  that  savoir-faire  which  consti- 
tutes a  man  of  the  world,  and  is  essential  to  the 
success  of  a  nation's  representative.  He  therefore 
trusted  to  his  subordinates  for  the  management  of 
his  office,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  task  of  getting 
all  of  the  satisfaction  out  of  a  life  in  Paris  which 
the  circumstances  of  the  situation  allowed,  and  the 
responsibilities  of  his  position  justified.  No  com- 
patriot, however,  ever  appealed  to  him  for  assistance 
or  sympathy  without  receiving  them  in  the  fullest 
measure,  and,  whether  successful  or  not  as  an  offi- 
cial, he  was  the  most  popular  man  that  ever  repre- 
sented his  country  abroad.  Greneral  Grant  enter- 
tained for  him  the  warmest  affection,  as  was  shown 
by  the  bestowal  upon  him  first  of  the  consul shijj 
at  Havre  and  then  of  that  at  Paris — two  of  the 
most  important  posts  in  the  gift  of  the  President, 
and  the  devotion  to  his  society  of  many  hours  daily 
in  the  private  sanctum  at  the  consulate. 

With  a  change  in  the  administration  he  lost  his 
place  and  returned  home,  to  find  his  fortune 
diminished   and  to  ajjpreciate  the  necessity  of  a 


512  A  doctor's  experiences 

vigorous  effort  for  its  recuperation.  With  this  end 
in  view,  he  engaged  in  a  business  enterprise  which 
required  a  visit  to  Mexico,  and  on  the  28th  of 
August,  1880,  he  sailed  for  Cuba  en  route  to  that 
country.  On  the  succeeding  day  a  violent  storm 
arose,  which  soon  reduced  the  steamer  to  a-helnless 
wreck,  and  drove  its  crew  and  passengers  to  the 
necessity  of  attempting  to  reach  the  shore — some 
thirty  miles  distant — upon  its  debris.  Encumber- 
ing himself  with  a  little  boy,  in  whose  fate  he  had 
become  interested  and  whose  rescue  he  determined 
to  attempt,  he  lashed  himself  to  a  board,  and 
boldly  plunged  into  the  waves.  Strange  to  say, 
he  reached  land  alive,  but  in  a  state  of  insensibility 
— from  which  scarcely  an  effort  was  made  to  rescue 
him  by  the  wreckers,  who,  like  hungry  harpies, 
lined  the  shore  awaiting  their  prey — and  his  brave 
spirit  soon  winged  its  flight,  leaving  only  a  bruised 
and  battered  frame  for  loving  friends  to  bury  with 
the  homage  and  the  honors  due  to  a  true  man  and 
a  gallant  soldier. 

In  his  death  I  lost  one  of  the  best  friends  I  have 
ever  known,  and  for  whom  I  entertained  the  deep- 
est respect  and  the  most  sincere  affection.  Cir- 
cumstances arrayed  us  against  each  other  during 
the  war,  but  that  very  fact  seemed  to  draw  us  the 
more  closely  together  afterward,  and  to  cement  an 
affection  which  the  attributes  of  our  natures  would 
have  made  a  necessity  under  any  circumstances. 
How  carious  a  thing  is  human  affinity.  How 
strange  are  the  repulsions  and  the  attractions  of, 
life.  For  one,  I  am  disposed  to  be  guided  by  them, 
regarding  them  as  divine  insignia  for  the  guid- 
ance, protection  and  comfort  of  mankind.  And  yet 
experience  convinces  me  that  they  do  not  furnish 
inl'allible  criteria  for  judgment  or  unerring  direc- 
tions for  conduct^  for  one  who  proved  himself  of 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  513 

^- the  salt  of  the  earth"  and  ^^as  true  a's  steel  itself" 
was  a  man  whose  tones  chilled  and  whose  counte- 
nance repelled  me — when  I  first  knew  and  shunned 
him. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  General  Grant 
I  hecame  acquainted  with  Judge  Noah  Davis  and 
Judge  John  E.  Brady,  both  of  the  supreme  bench 
of  New  York.  The  former  was  suffering  with  an 
immense  carbuncle  upon  the  back,  and  had  been  at- 
tended by  a  physician  whose  specialty  was  the 
throat,  and  who  was,  consequently,  at  sea  in  the 
treatment  of  the  case.  At  my  first  visit  I  ex- 
temporized a  freezing  mixture,  and  duly  incised 
the  carbuncle,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  patieat, 
and  with  the  result,  as  he  believes,  of  saving  his 
life.  The  acquaintance  thus  formed  ripened  into 
n  warm  friendship,  and  my  relations  with  these 
distinguished  gentlemen  have  ever  since  been  most 
cordial  and  agreeable. 

Though  devoted  friends,  they  are  the  direct  an- 
tipodes of  each  other.  Judge  Brady  is  brimful  of 
mirth  and  jollity.  His  powers  of  mimicry  are  un- 
surpassed, and  in  the  role  of  the  Paddy  or  the 
Dutchman  or  the  Down-Easter,  he  is  inimitable, 
especially  on  post-prandial  occasions.  He  over- 
flows with  good  nature,  and  his  heart  is  a  garden 
in  which  every  social  virtue  grows  spontaneously 
and  in  profusion.  Upon  the  bench,  though  learned 
and  logical,  his  tendency  is  to  the  side  of  mercy 
and  to  the  most  favorable  view  of  the  situation. 
Though  the  wretch  whom  he  condemns  may  de- 
spise the  laiu,  he  never  fails  to  regard  the  judge  as 
his  friend  and  benefactor.  Such  is  the  influence  of 
this  good  man's  inherent  and  sympathetic  human- 
ity. 

Judge  Davis  has  been  cast  in  a  different  mold. 
Grave,  serious,  dignified  and,  perhaps,  austere,  he 


514  A  doctor's  experiences 

is  the  embocliment  of  justice,  pure  and  simple. 
With  him  the  law  is  paramount  and  its  thorough 
execution  the  end  and  object  of  his  existence. 
Honest  himself  to  the  last  degree,  he  regards  dis- 
honesty in  every  shape  and  guise  as  an  insult  ta 
heaven  and  an  outrage  upon  humanity,  and  he 
would  punish  it  if  the  judgment  snapped  his  heart- 
strings or  condemned  him  to  perdition.  In  pri- 
vate life  he  is  the  soul  of  honor — conscientious  to 
the  most  superlative  degree  and  loyal  to  every  ob- 
ligation. Believing  that  I  was  instrumental  in 
saving  his  life,  he  has  been  my  most  devoted 
friend,  and  has  seemed  to  regard  no  service  ade- 
quate to  the  expression  of  his  faith  and  affection. 
General  Grant  never  rendered  a  more  important 
service  than  when  he  threw  such  a  patient  into 
my  hands,  and  my  thankfulness  will  follow  him 
through  life.  « 

The  Hon.  S.  Teakle  Wallis,  of  Baltimore,  vis- 
ited Paris  in  the  summer  of  1884,  and  being  some- 
what indisposed,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  renewing: 
the  pleasant  relations  which  had  subsisted  between 
him  and  myself  during  the  trial  of  the  Levy  will 
case.  I  have  traveled  much  and  have  known 
many  men,  but  I  have  never  encountered  one  who 
comes  more  fully  up  to  the  standard  embodied  in 
the  word  gentleman  than  he.  There  is  something: 
in  his  tall  and  graceful  figure,  his  cleanly  cut  and 
aristocratic  features,  and  his  manly,  independent 
and  thoroughbred  bearing  which  instantly  at- 
tracts attention  and  challenges  admiration.  No- 
blesse oblige  is  written  in  every  line  of  his  classic 
face,  every  scintillation  of  his  keen,  gray  eye, 
every  tone  of  his  clear,  incisive  and  sympatbetic 
voice,  and  in  all  that  relates  to  his  intellectual  and 
corporeal  organization,  in  such  distinctive  char- 
acters  as    precludes    the  slightest   mistake  in   its 


II  ox.    S.    TEAKLE     WALLIS, 


IN   THREE   COXTINENTS.  515 

reading  or  error  in  its  interpretation.  Nature,  in 
truth,  has  been  lavish  with  him,  has  surfeited  him 
with  her  gifts  and  graces,  and,  as  if  to  attract  at- 
tention to  her  work,  she  has  left  upon  his  every 
trait  and  lineament  the  stamp  of  lofty  genius  and 
true  nobility. 

Though  endowed  with  brilliant  forensic  powers 
and  possessed  of  profound  legal  erudition,  the  pre- 
dominating principle  of  his  nature  is  moral  worth. 
In  him  the  gifted  jurist  is  subordinated  to  the  im- 
maculate gentleman.  He  is  nothing  if  he  is  not 
honest,  just  and  true.  His  creed  is  first  to  be  right 
and  then  to  bring  his  s]3lendid  talents  and  great 
learning  to  the  elucidation  and  maintenance  of  his 
positions. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  and  yet  one  uni- 
versally appreciated,  that,  in  his  case,  exalted 
character  has  proved  the  best  of  investments  in  a 
business  sense.  Kealizing  the  influence  of  his  pur- 
ity of  soul  and  rectitude  of  purpose  upon  courts 
and  juries^  a  majority  of  clients  seek  his  services 
not  more  to  secure  the  benefit  of  his  abilities  and 
legal  knowledge  than  to  clothe  themselves  and 
their  causes  in  the  panoply  of  his  unimpeachable 
character.  Thus  it  is  that  the  highest  tribute  that 
can  be  paid  to  human  worth  is  daily  paid  by  hu- 
man astuteness  to  this  great  and  good  man  ;.  while 
he,  all  unconscious  of  the  source  of  the  offering, 
gathers  in  continually  a  rich  harvest  of  profes- 
sional remuneration  and  reputation.  I  am  de- 
lighted to  number  such  a  man  among  my  friends 
and  patients,  for  he  is  the  type  of  all  that  is  loyal 
in  friendship,  while  he  brought  to  my  office  a 
flood  of  sunshine  and  a  host  of  associations  which 
brightened  the  monotony  of  my  professional  exist- 
ence and  fllled  my  soul  with  pleasant  memories. 

Referring  to  him  in  this  connection  reminds  me 


516  A  doctok's  experiences 

of  the  masterly  manner  in  which  he  conducted  the 
case  for  the  deifendants  in  the  trial  to  which  I  have 
referred.  Throwing  down  the  glove  as  to  the 
question  of  the  character  of  one  of  the  principal  wit- 
nesses, and  enveloping  him  in  the  mantle  of  his 
own  honorability  by  declaring  that  he  appeared- 
more  in  the  capacity  of  a  personal  friend  than  a 
retained  advocate,  he  drove  the  plaintiffs  from  one 
of  their  supposed  strongest  positions,  and  won  for 
his  clients  the  sympathy  alike  of  bench  and  panel. 
Then,  seizing  the  advantage  he  had  gained,  and 
trusting  to  the  favorable  impression  it  had  made 
upon  the  jury,  he  offered  to  submit  the  case  with- 
out argument — thus  demonstrating  his  absolute 
confidence  in  its  merits  and  silencing  one  of  the 
most  powerful  advocates  in  the  profession.  The 
venture  proved  a  master  stroke  ;  and  a  favorable 
verdict,  instantly  rendered,  delighted  those  whom 
he  represented,  and  vindicated  his  claim  to  the  at- 
tributes of  genius  as  a  jurist  and  advocate. 

Lady  Anna  Gore-Langton,  while  en^  route  from 
Cannes  to  London,  fell  in  an  apoplectic  fit  a  few 
years  since,  and  I  was  summoned  to  attend  her.  She 
was  the  only  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  who 
at  that  time  was  the  governor  of  Bombay,  and,  hence, 
she  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  proudest  fami- 
lies of  England.  Her  father  had  wasted  his  estate 
even  to  the  extent  of  cutting  off  the  entail,  winch 
necessitated  the  acceptance  by  his  son  of  the  official 
position  to  which  I  have  referred,  but  the  daugh- 
ter had  had  the  good  sense  to  marry  the  man  of 
her  choice,  in  spite  of  parental  protest,  and  he  hap- 
pened to  possess  a  large  estate,  though  inferior  to 
her  in  social  status.  "She  was  a  plethoric  woman 
of  about  fifty-six  years,  and  her  life  was  placed  in 
imminent  jeopardy  by  the  seizure.  By  a  resort  to 
heroic  remedies,  reinforced  by  the  most  devoted  at- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  517 

tention  of  her  daughter,  I  succeeded  in  saving  her, 
though  she  had  a  long  and  tedious  convalescence. 
When  sutficiently  recovered  to  bear  the  journey,  I 
accompanied  her  to  London  and  remained  for  several 
days  a  guest  in  her  house,  which  was  one  of  the  finest 
•in  the  city,  and  furnished  with  great  taste  and 
luxury.  I  had  a  delightful  time  in  London,  as  her 
family  regarded  me  as  the  rescuer  of  their  mother, 
and  sought  to  show  their  appreciation  of  my  ser- 
vices by  overwhelming  me  with  kindnesses  and  at- 
tentions. I  was  introduced  to  a  large  number  of 
the  nobility,  paraded  in  public  as  a  hero  and  bene- 
factor, and  driven  through  Hyde  park  daily  in  one 
of  the  most  splendid  equipages  of  that  aristocratic 
resort.  To  crown  it  all,  I  was  presented  with  a 
princely  fee — more  than  £300 — and  discharged, 
when  her  ladyship  had  recovered,  with  the  warmest 
expressions  of  gratitude,  and  the  assurance  that  I 
should  be  telegraphed  for  in  the  event  of  another 
attack.  This  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  epi- 
sodes of  my  professional  life,  and  I  contemplate  it 
now  with  the  most  pleasurable  emotions.  1  regret 
to  record,  however,  that  I  was  not  called  again,  as 
the  patient  fell  suddenly  some  months  afterward 
and  died  almost  instantaneously.  Her  eldest  son, 
Mr.  William  Grore-Langton,  the  present  M.  P.  for 
Bath,  will  become  the  Marquis  of  Chandos  should 
his  uncle  die  without  issue,  which  is  not  improb- 
able considering  his  advanced  years.  The  daugh- 
ter, whose  devoted  care  of  her  mother  I  have  al- 
ready chronicled,  has  since  followed  her  example 
and  married  a  plebeian,  though  a  lady  in  her  own 
right ;  and  she  still  shows  her  appreciation  of  my 
work  by  occasionally  writing  a  friendly  letter  to 
my  daughter.  I  have  never  met  a  finer  girl  or  one 
whose  head  was  less  turned  by  rank,  wealth  and 
fashionable  society. 


518  A  doctor's  experiexces 

I  was  much  amused  by  an  incident  which  oc- 
curred on 'our  journey  to  London.  As  we  passed 
through  a  dark  tunnel  I  removed  my  hat,  and  in 
.doing  so  it  touched  her  head  as  she  was  sitting 
near  me.  *I  heard  a  sudden  shriek  and,  divining  its 
cause,  I  kept  my  hand  extended  wdth  the  hat  in  it 
so  that  she  might  properly  understand  the  contre- 
temps when  there  was  light  enough  to  discern  sur- 
rounding objects.  As  we  emerged  from  the  dark- 
ness, I  found  that  she  had  retreated  into  the  oppo- 
site corner  and  was  crimson  with  blushes  and  in  a 
great  state  of  agitation.  So  soon  as  she  saw  the 
extended  arm  and  the  transgressing  hat  she  broke 
out  into  a  merry  laugh,  and  said;  "  Why — Doctor 
Warren !  I  thought  you  had  tried  to  kiss  me  in 
the  tunnel.  I  am  so  relieved."  At  which  remark 
the  old  lady  laughed,  but  sardonically.  The  English 
have  remarkably  strict  ideas  in  regard  to  the  rear- 
ing of  their  girls,  keeping  them  rigorously  tied  to 
the  apron-strings  of  their  mothers,  and  tolerating 
no  familiarity  on  their  part  with  the  opposite  sex, 
especially  since  the  days  of  the  Prince  of  Wales' 
notoriety. 

Speaking  of  my  fee  in  this  case  reminds  me  of  a 
singular  custom  w^hich  prevails  in  England  in  that 
regard.  A  medical  man  is  supposed  to  be  so  much 
above  a  mere  trader  that  it  is  deemed  impolite  to 
ask  him  his  fee  or  even  to  give  it  to  him  openly. 
At  each  visit  a  pound  is  carefully  enveloped  in  a 
piece  of  white  paper  and  dropped  clandestinely  in 
his  hand  as  it  is  shaken  at  parting.  So  universally 
is  this  done  that  wdienever  an  Englishman  fails  in 
its  performance,  I  take  it  for  granted  that  he  does 
not  propose  to  pay  me  at  all,  and  I  am  generally 
right  in  the  supposition.  I  must  say  that  the  young 
bloods  of  the  Isle  are,  as  a  general  rule,  the  poor- 
est  paymasters   in    Christendom.     They   seem   to 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  519 

ihink  that  they  have  compensated  a  physician  suf- 
iiciently  hy  allowing  him  the  jDrivilege  of  attend- 
ing them,  and  they  neglect  to  pay  him  in  any  other 
coin.  Brass  goes  a  long  way  in  this  world,  hut 
it  will  not  settle  a  medical  hill,  you  know. 

The  French  have  similar  ideas  in  regard  to  the 
dignity  of  the  profession,  but  they  are  mostly  con- 
fined to  the  doctors  themselves.  Nothing  is  so  in- 
sulting to  the  average  French  physician  as  to  ques- 
tion him  in  regard  to  his  charges  or  to  ask  for  his 
hill.  A  patient  is  expected  to  know  the  fee-table, 
and  to  hand  the  exact  sum  due  for  services  sealed 
in  an  envelope  or  to  place  it  without  remark  upon 
the  table  or  mantel,  so  that  it  may  be  gathered  in 
after  his  departure.  So  far  is  this  carried,  that, 
when  an  American  offered  to  a  Parisian  celebrity  a 
Jive-hundred  franc  bill  for  an  office  prescription, 
thinking  that  the  change  would  be  returned  to 
him,  the  doctor  quietly  slipped  it  into  his  vest 
pocket  as  if  it  were  beneath  his  dignity  to  consider 
Si  question  of  money.  It  is  even  considered  as 
smacking  too  much  of  the  shop  to  place  a  sign 
bearing  one's  name  upon  the  front  door  of  his  house, 
though  to  secretly  bribe  a  concierge  or  hotel  mana- 
ger for  patients  is  a  matter  of  daily  occurrence. 
Men  in  general,  and  doctors  in  particular,  are  only 
congeries  of  contradictions,  and  the  ways  of  ^'pad- 
dling one's  own  canoe"  are  various  and  peculiar, 
my  friend,  even  in  the  world's    great  metropolis. 

It  is  a  popular  idea  that  physicians,  as  a  class, 
are  overpaid.  This  is  the  very  reverse  of  the  truth, 
so  far  as  the  great  body  of  the  profession  is  con- 
cerned. Taking  into  account  the  time,  labor  and 
vitality  expended  in  acquiring  a  medical  education, 
in  keeping  pace  with  the  progress  of  medicine  and 
in  performing  the  intellectual  and  physical  work  of 


520  A  doctor's  experiences 

actual  practice — to  say  nothing  of  the  interest ^ 
anxiety,  depression  and  heart  tension  to  which  the 
vocation  necessitates — the  pecuniary  recompense 
of  physicians  is.  as  a  general  rule,  absolutely  inade- 
quate. 

If  the  real  value  of  the  service  rendered  is  con- 
sidered, the  disparity  between  it  and  the  extent  to 
which  it  is  compensated  becomes  still  more  con- 
spicuous. A  physician  in  the  very  nature  of 
things  deals  with  the  most  essential  interests  of 
humanity — the  issues  joined  between  life  and  death 
— and  yet  he  is  rewarded,  not  in  proportion  to  the 
importance  of  the  result  secured  nor  to  the  amount 
of  skill  displayed,  but  exclusively  with  reference 
to  the  length  of  time  consumed  in  his  labors.  He 
may  save  some  struggling  life  by  the  most  dexter- 
ous manipulation  or  skillful  surgical  procedure, 
and  only  receive  the  compensation  which  might 
be  claimed  by  some  unfledged  tyro  or  pretentious 
sageferame.  He  may  stay  the  life  current  as  it 
gushed  from  an  inert  or  paralyzed  uterus  and 
snatched  an  adored  wife  from  the  jaws  of  death  by 
a  resort  to  measures  which  have  required  the  labors 
of  centuries  for  their  elimination,  or  been  inspired 
by  the  quickening  of  his  own  genius  beneath  the 
spur  of  a  great  emergency,  and  still  be  forced  to 
the  humiliation  of  having  the  value  of  his  work 
estimated  by  the  number  of  minutes  consumed  in 
its  execution. 

The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, but  the  wages  to  be  just  and  equitable 
must  be  estimated  by  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
work  performed,  which  is  not  the  rule  so  far  as 
physicians  are  concerned.  All  other  professions 
are  rewarded  upon  this  principle,  and  society  per- 
petrates a  gross  outrage  upon  the   medical    profes- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  521 

sion  when  it  establishes  and    enforces    a   different 
principle  of  compensation  for  its  members. 

But  this  is  not  the  whole  story.  Not  only  is  the 
principle  of  compensation  inherently  unjust,  but 
medical  men  are  not  paid  even  in  accordance  with 
its  discriminating  exactions.  As  my  father  re- 
marked in  the  outset  of  my  career:  "The  most 
honest  men  intuitively  shrink  from  the  payment  of 
medical  bills  and  believe  that  they  have  been  over- 
charged." When  pain  and  anguish  wring  the 
brow  or  death  confronts  the  sufferer,  he  is  the 
most  grateful  and  liberal  of  men,  but  when  the 
blissful  hyperdermic  has  done  its  work,  and  the 
grim  demon  has  been  driven  from  the  field,  the 
quieted  heart  grows  callous,  the  strengthened  hand 
grasps  the  purse  strings,  and  a  check  is  given  to  his 
generosity  instead  of  a  liberal  check  to  his  doctor. 
Such  is  human  nature  as  we  doctors  see  it — to  learn 
from  sad  experience  that  it  is  a  very  poor  and  un- 
reliable thing  at  best,  and  to  realize  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  it  in  everybody. 

To  every  outsider  who  may  read  this  page,  I  would 
say  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  :  "  Never  send 
for  a  physician  unless  it  is  necessary  to  do  so  ;  never 
forget  to  treat  him  as  a  gentleman  and  an  equal, 
and  never  fail  to  pay  him  promptly  and  liberally 
when  he  has  completed  his  work.  To  withhold  the 
recompense  to  which  he  is  justly  entitled  is  not 
simply  to  appropriate  his  money,  but  it  is  to  rob 
him  of  his  time,  talents  and  vitality,  and  hence  to 
commit  an  act  which  is  the  comble  of  meanness  and 
ingratitude.  Should  the  res  cmgusta  clomi  necessi- 
tate delay  or  failure  upon  your  part  to  discharge 
your  indebtedness,  I  beg  you,  in  the  name  of  com- 
mon honesty,  not  to  resort  to  the  criminal  subter- 
fuge of  pretending  to  impute  fraud  or  extortion  to 


522  A  doctor's  experiences 

the  man  who  has  relieved  your  agony  or  saved  your 
life,  but  to  tell  him  the  truth,  and  to  trust  to  his  lib- 
erality for  an  amicable  arrangement.  Honesty  is 
the  best  policy,  even  toward  physicians. 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  523 


LETTER  XXXV. 

LIFE  IN  PARIS. 

My  Dear  Doctor  : 

The  field  of  practice  was  hotly  contested,  how- 
ever, and  calumnies  of  everj^  possible  description 
were  invoked  with  the  design  of  injuring  my  pri- 
vate character  and  of  depreciating  my  professional 
ability. 

The  Wharton  case  was  resuscitated  and  paraded 
in  many  different  guises — or  rather  disguises — 
before  the  public.  According  to  the  misrepresen- 
tations of  jealous  rivals,  I  was  ^' mixed  up  in  a 
poisioning  case  and  had  to  flee  from  Baltimore  in 
the  night" — thus  ignoring  the  existence  of  my 
kind  friend,  the  attorney-general,  and  showing 
that  they  were  not  bidden  to  the  delicious  dinner 
which  we  enjoyed  together  at  Barnum's  on  the  eve 
of  my  departure. 

The  imaginary  '' clouds"  under  which  I  left 
Egypt,  had  they  really  existed,  would  have  shrouded 
that  country  in  pristine  darkness,  and  precluded 
an  escape  from  it  save  with  the  assistance  of  an 
electric  light  of  the  latest  invention. 

One  of  the  most  extraordinary  measures  was  in- 
voked in  this  regard  which  human  ingenuity  ever 
conceived  of  or  executed.  Certain  slips  of  paper 
resembling  clippings  from  the  columns  of  the  '*  Fi- 
garo'' and  the  ^^  Liherte,^'  and  containing  villain- 
ous falsehoods  respecting  my  career  in  Egypt,  were 
circulated  broadcast  in  Paris,  to  my  infinite  amaze- 


524  A  doctor's  experiences 

ment  and  annoyance.  When  the  directors  of  these 
journals  were  approached  with  a  demand  for  an 
explanation  in  regard  to  their  puhlication,  they 
declared  that  they  had  never  heard  of  me,  and  de- 
fied the  production  of  the  editions  of  their  papers 
containing  them.  These  replies  still  further  in- 
creased my  wonder  and  perplexity.  It  was  im- 
possible to  imagine  from  whence  these  clippings 
had  come  or  to  unravel  the  mystery  of  their  pub- 
lication and  circulation — and  still  they  had  reached 
every  one  and  were  the  wonder  of  the  town. 

In  my  perplexity,  I  sought  the  late  Mr.  Sharp- 
stein — one  of  the  partners  of  Arnold,  Constable  & 
Co. — with  the  hope  of  obtaining  through  his  ex- 
perience and  sagacity  a  solution  of  the  mystery. 
Being  an  old  ''silk  buyer"  and  possessed  of  an 
exquisite  delicacy  of  touch,  he  had  no  sooner  taken 
one  of  these  clippings  in  his  hand  than  he  exclaimed : 
*'  This  is  a  double  jDaper,  or  rather  there  are  two 
papers  here  pasted  together."  Immersing  it  in 
water,  two  papers  actually  became  visible — one 
having  the  libelous  statement  printed  upon  its 
j)re&^nting  face,  while  its  reverse  surface  was  en- 
tirely blank,  and  the  other  being  a  veritable  clip- 
ping from  the  Figaro^  carefully  pasted  upon  the 
blank  side  of  its  fellow.  With  a  private  press.,  a 
pair  of  scissors,  old  copies  of  the  paper  and  a  pot 
of  paste,  some  clever  scoundrel  had  manufactured 
these  pretended  clippings,  and  then  by  means  of 
the  post  had  circulated  them  throughout  the  com- 
munity with  the  design  of  doing  me  a  serious  in- 
jury. 

That  professional  rivalry  should  have  vented  its 
spleen  in  such  a  refinement  of  malicious  ingenuity 
seems  scarcely  credible  in  this  age  of  moral  develop- 
ment, and  yet  I  had  evidence  of  my  own  senses  and 
wounded  feeling  to  the  fact. 


IN    THREE    CONTINENTS.  525 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  that,  although 
the  laws  of  France  are  exceptionally  stringent  in  re- 
gard to  defamation — punishing  severely  the  publi- 
cation even  of  a  fact  reflecting  on  private  character — 
there  is  no  country  in  which  calumny  is  so  much 
employed  for  personal  ends. 

The  moment  that  a  man  displays  superior  talent 
of  any  kind  or  seems  to  prosper  in  life,  he  is  re- 
garded as  an  enemy  by  his  competitors  and  becomes 
a  target  for  the  shafts  of  an  implacable  enmity. 
His  character  is  assailed,  his  antecedents  are  ques- 
tioned, his  abilities  are  denied  and  he  is  pursued 
^nd  vilified  as  if  he  were  an  escaped  convict  or  a 
hired  assassin.  Though  he  may  be  as  pure  as  an 
angel  and  his  life  that  of  an  anchorite,  he  can  no 
more  escape  traduction  than  his  contributions  to 
the  public  treasury  and  his  account  to  heaven. 
And,  yet,  it  is  never  by  fair  and  open  methods  that 
this  murder  of  reputations  and  sacrifice  of  prospects 
are  attempted.  Anonymous  letters,  secret  denun- 
ciations,* clandestine  slanders,  ominous  hints,  and 
every  device  that  a  vindictive  but  cowardly  malig- 
nity can  suggest  are  the  means  invoked  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  these  infamous  purposes. 

Such  is  the  fagon  du  pays,  and  I  regret  to  say 
that  the  foreigners  domiciled  here  are  not  slow  to 
adopt  this  guerrilla  system  of  social  warfare  and  to 
display  an  expertness  in  it  and  a  relish  for  it  which 
throws  its  originators  completely  in  the  shade.  I 
say  this  with  regret,  but  it  is  none  the  less  true  and 
susceptible  of  demonstration. 

I  scarcely  know  an  individual  of  prominence 
among  my  compatriots  against  whom  I  have  not 
heard  some  abominable  cancan — some  whispei-  of  a 
blot  upon  his  or  her  escutcheon.     None  escape  this 


•^  See  Appendix  (W). 


526  A  doctor's  experiences 

drag-net  of  calumny  whose  talents  or  character  or 
heauty  or  wealth  attracts  puhlic  attention  and  ex- 
cites personal  jealousy. 

Anonymous  letters  play  a  leading  role  in  the  so- 
cial life  of  this  metropolis.  In  talking  with  friends 
in  all  circles — foreign  as  well  as  native — I  have  dis- 
covered that  they  have  generally  been  the  recipients 
of  them.  I  have  received  them  repeatedly — some 
containing  warnings,  others  threats  and  a  majority 
unfolding  schemes  of  rascality  having  blackmail 
as  their  object.  A  lady  conspicuous  for  her  wealth, 
position  and  deeds  of  charity  tells  me  that  she  re- 
ceives them  by  the  score.  I  know  of  a  young  and 
respectable  girl  whose  life  has  been  rendered  mis- 
erable for  years  by  anonymous  threats  to  expose 
letters  that  she  has  never  written,  and  demanding 
money  as  the  price  of  silence. 

In  another  instance  within  my  knowledge^  an 
unmarried  lady  of  high  social  standing  was  written 
to  regularly  for  months  by  some  unknown  scoun- 
drel, who  pretended  that  he  had  a  child  of  hers  in 
his  keeping — writing  sometimes  as  if  in  answer  to 
letters  from  her,  and  again  in  the  name  of  his 
charge,  soliciting  money  for  the  purchase  of  clot?i- 
ing  and  food,  and  threatening  exposure  if  his  de- 
mands were  not  complied  with. 

If  one  imagines  that  he  is  antagonized  or  injured, 
he  avoids  an  open  quarrel  and  gives  vent  to  his 
jealousy  in  anonymous  letters  to  mutual  friends, 
hinting  at  some  damaging  secret  in  the  life  of  his 
rival  or  to  the  police  accusing  him  of  crime,  and 
asking  a  strict  surveillance  over  his  actions. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  letters  are  encour- 
aged by  the  authorities,  who  file  them  with  the 
dossier  of  the  denounced  and  investigate  their 
charges,  whatever  may  be  his  position  in  life.  I  am 
convinced  that  it  is  the  countenance  which  is  thus 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  527 

given  to  this  clandestine  mode  of  attack  that  per- 
petuates it  in  France  ;  that  the  police  is  mainly 
responsible  for  a  vice  which  has  its  origin  in  the 
lowest  passions  of  the  people,  and  is  at  once  an  evi- 
dence and  a  source  of  public  demoralization.  The 
city  is  filled  with  agencies  *  which  coin  money  by 
supplying  testimony  against  the  probity  of  men  and 
the  virtue  of  women,  without  regard  to  the  real 
character  of  those  assailed  or  the  base  purposes  for 
which  their  renseignments  are  to  be  employed. 

But  to  return  to  my  story.  I  went  immediately 
to  the  prefect  of  police,  who  was  then  Mr.  Gigot — 
a  thorough  gentleman  and  a  most  capable  officer — 
and  called  his  attention  to  the  diabolical  plot  which 
had  been  attempted  against  me. 

He  took  an  active  interest  in  the  matter,  and 
after  tracing  the  villainy  to  its  source,  gave  its  au- 
thors a  warning,  which,  I  am  sure,  they  have  never 
ceased  to  remember,  and  has  served  to  correct  their 
conduct  if  not  to  improve  their  morals. 

He  ascertained  that  their  special  object  was  to 
prevent  me  from  receiving  the  Cross  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor,  which  they  imagined  was  likely  to  occur 
and  to  give  me  additional  reputation. 

Their  malignity  was  well  conceived,  but  it  over- 
reached itself,  for  the  measure  invoked  to  defeat 
me  was  really  instrumental  in  advancing  my  inter- 
ests. It  was  through  the  active  intervention  of 
Mr.  Gigot,  whose  good  will  I  secured  by  appealing 
to  him  in  this  instance,  that  the  minister  of  for- 
eign affairs  was  induced  to  investigate  my  claims 
to  the  decoration  and  eventually  to  accord  it. 
Thus  it  was  that  the  "  engineer  was  hoisted  by  his 
own  petard,"  and  flowers  grew  where  only  thorns 
were  planted. 


*See  Appendix  (X). 


528  A  doctor's  experiences 

One  of  the  principal  obstacles  which  I  found  in 
my  path  to  success  was  the  system^  prevailing  in 
hotels,  by  which  some  special  physician,  and  as  a 
general  rule  an  inferior  one,  is  thrust  upon  every 
luckless  guest  who  requires  medical  attendance. 
These  medicins  titulaires,  as  they  are  denominated, 
practice  in  most  instances,  not  in  the  interest  of 
patients,  but  of  landlords,  and  are  less  interested 
in  effecting  cures  than  in  putting  money  in  their 
own  pockets,  and  in  increasing  the  profits  of  their 
employers.  Travelers  should  make  it  a  rule  never  to 
take  or  to  retain  a  physician  who  is  thus  recom- 
mended until  they  have  inquired  of  their  banker 
or  their  consul  or  some  resident  friend  as  to  his 
character  and  standing. 

The  exposition  of  '78  found  me  permanently  lo- 
cated in  Paris,  and  the  governor  of  North  Carolina 
— my  old  friend,  the  Hon.  Z.  B.  Vance— very 
kindly  appointed  me  a  special  commissioner. 

The  French  commissioner-in-chief,  for  reasons  of 
his  own,  declined  to  recognize  special  State  com- 
missioners, although  their  tenure  of  office  was  as 
good  as  that  of  the  chief  American  _  commissioner, 
and  was  based  upon  one  of  the  provisions  of  the  very 
act  of  Congress  which  gave  official  existence  to  the 
commission  itself. 

There  was  thus  inaugurated  a  bitter  controversy 
between  these  special  commissioners  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  chief  French  commissioner  on  the 
other,  but  as  the  latter  possessed  absolute  power  in 
the  premises,  the  former  were  driven  from  the  field 
and^-eturned  home  with  their  useless  commissions 
in  their  pockets  and  the  deepest  disgust  in  their 
hearts. 

Although  I  took  no  open  part  in  this  fight,  my 
feelings  were  not  the  less  enlisted,  and  while_  my 
colleagues  submitted  to  the  outrage,  I  determined 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  529 

to    maintain    my    rights   if    within    the  range   of 
possibility. 

Without  discussing  the  matter  with  any  one,  I 
went  directly  to  the  minister  of  agriculture  and 
commerce,  who  was  ex-qfficio  the  head  and  front  of 
the  exposition,  and  presented  to  him  the  commis- 
sion which  I  held  from  the  executive  of  North  Caro- 
lina, requesting  to  be  duly  recognized  and  regis- 
tered. As  this  document  bore  the  signature  of 
Oovernor  Vance  the  great  seal  of  the  State  of 
J!!»J"orth  Carolina  and  the  indorsement  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  of  the  United  States,  he  naturally 
recognized  it  as  bona  fide,  and  received  and  regis- 
tered me  as  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the  expo- 
sition of  1878. 

The  other  commissioners,  both  Federal  and  State, 
having  simply  reported  to  the  chief  commissioner 
of  the  United  States, were  only  known  to  the  French 
authorities  through  him  and  as  his  assistants, 
while  I,  a  special  State  commissioner  only  and  one 
of  those  to  whom  all  official  existence  had  been 
denied,  had  a  locus  standi  of  my  own — occupied  a 
position  at  once  independent  in  itself  and  scarcely 
inferior  in  dignity  to  that  of  the  highest  official  of 
the  United  States.  It  resulted  therefore  that  while 
other  commissioners  received  no  special  recognition 
and  were  dependent  upon  the  United  States  head- 
quarters for  favors  of  all  kinds,  every  French  min- 
ister made  it  a  point  to  call  on  me^  and  invitations 
to  the  whole  series  of  official  entertainments  were 
sent  directly  to  my  house. 

In  a  word,  so  far  from  being  ignored  and  forced 
to  retire  in  humiliation  and  disgust,  as  was  the  case 
with  all  others  who  held  appointments  as  special 
commissioners,  I  was  received  as  a  regular  commis- 
sionerj  and  was  treated  with  as  much  honor  and 
34 


630  A  doctor's  experiences 

consideration  as  any   other    functionary    connected 
with  the  exposition. 

It  is  true  that  my  name  was  carefully  omitted 
from  the  list  sent  in  from  the  United  States  head- 
quarters for  the  decoration  of  the  Legion  of  Honor, 
as  I  had  hoped  and  expected,  hut  as  the  minister 
did  not  forget  to  send  me  a  ^'  commissioner's  medal 
of  merit,"  accompanied  hy  a  letter  distinctly  recog- 
nizing my  status,  and  as  the  higher  honor  was  be- 
stowed soon  afterward  on  special  grounds,  I  had 
no  reason  to  regret  the  stand  which  I  made  for  the 
rights  acquired  under  the  great  seal  of  the  State  of 
North  Carolina. 

Much  experience  has  convinced  me  that  it  is  better 
to  die  in  a  contest  for  one's  own  than  to  live  tothe- 
age  of  Methuselah  in  the  role  of  a  compromiser 
and  a  craven.  Let  a  man  stand  up  for  his  rights 
if  he  desires  to  live  in  peace  and  to  command  re- 
spect of  his  fellows.  I  certainly  had  no  reason  to 
regret  the  determined  fight  which  I  made  for  recog- 
nition in  connection  with  the  exposition  of  1878. 

Finding  that  the  United  States  Government  had 
sent  a  company  of  marines  as  a  guard  to  the  Ameri- 
can exhibit,  and  that  there  were  also  a  number  of 
officers  of  the  army  and  navy  on  duty  in  the  same 
connection,  I  volunteered  to  attend  them  profes- 
sionally whenever  they  might  require  medical  ser- 
vices. The  work  was  far  more  engrossing  and  la- 
borious than  I  had  anticipated,  but  I  performed  it 
cheerfully,  and  with  the  result  of  forming  some  en- 
during friendships  and  of  eliciting  the  cordial 
commendation  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  ma- 
rines, the  chief  officer  of  the  Marine  Corps,  and 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  of  the  United  States. "^ 

I  shall  always  cherish  pleasant  memories  of  the 


See  Appendix  (Y). 


m   THREE   CONTINENTS.  531 

exposition  J  as  it  "brought  me  in  contact  with  many 
agreeable  people  and  was  the  source  of  an  abund- 
ant professional  harvest. 

My  house  was  the  scene  of  a  perpetual  gaiety  as 
the  city  was  filled  with  strangers,  among  whom 
were  troops  of  old  friends,  and  many  with  letters  of 
introduction  from  outre  mer.  It  was  a  rare  thing 
for  us  to  dine  en  famille  ;  we  gave  grand  dinners 
frequently  and  my  wife  had  an  evening  reception 
every  fortnight,  with  music  and  dancing,  and  at 
which  ^'  All  went  merry  as  a  marriage  bell." 

Prosperous  in  business,  surrounded  by  the  friends 
of  other  days,  and  those  of  a  more  recent  aquaint- 
ance,  with  a  daughter  just  budding  into  woman- 
hood, and  a  wife  who  was  idolized  by  all  who 
knew  her_,  my  cup  of  happiness  seemed  again  filled 
to  repletion  and  the  future  loomed  up  like  a  vista 
canopied  by  perpetual  sunshine  and  wreathed  in 
perennial  flowers. 

.  I  fondly  dreamed  that  the  battle  of  life  was 
fought  and  won  ;  that  care  had  winged  its  eternal 
flight  from  my  household,  and  that  the  evening  of 
my  days  was  destined  to  be  as  cloudless  and  tran- 
quil as  their  morning  had  been  dark  and  stormy. 

Could  I  have  looked  into  the  future  I  should 
have  welcomed  death  as  a  blessing.  Could  I  have 
turned  over  a  single  page  in  my  life's  history  i 
should  have  sought  a  refuge  beneath  the  waters  of 
the  Seine.  How  fortunate  that  we  cannot  see  the 
gathering  cloud — cannot  know  of  the  impending 
blow — cannot  anticipate  the  dire  calamity.  What 
would  life  have  been  if  the  revelation  had  then 
been  made  that  the  greatest  possible  misfortune 
Avas  to  fall  upon  me — that  my  heart's  supremest 
idol  was  to  be  snatched  from  my  loving  arms  and 
consigned  to  the  chilling  confines  of  the  tomb  ? 

And  yet  so  it  was  written.     While  I  was  delud- 


532  A   DOCTOR  S   EXPERIENCES 

ing  myself  with  these  fond  dreams  the  tree  had 
grown  out  of  which  her  coffin  was  to  be  made — 
the  ground  had  been  measured  in  which  her  lovely 
body  was  to  crumble  into  dust — the  edict  had  gone 
forth  which  was  to  summon  her  pure  spirit  to  its 
home  in  heaven. 

A  few  months  after  these  happy  days  our  hearts 
were  made  glad  by  the  prospect  of  another  child — 
another  beautiful  boy,  as  we  hoped,  to  bear  your 
name  and  to  console  us  for  our  beloved  ones  in 
heaven.  All  went  well  until  about  the  middle  of 
the  sixth  month,  and  then — without  the  slighest 
warning  or  the  manifestation  of  a  single  sign  of 
danger,  when  she  felt  unusually  well,  and  was  in 
ODC  of  her  gayest  and  happiest  moods — the  blow 
came  like  a  lightning's  flash  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  she  lay  prostrate,  speechless  and  dying  before 
my  eyes. 

After  the  conclusion  of  my  office  hours  on  Sun- 
day, the  29th  of  June,  1879,  I  went  into  her  room 
and  found  her  engaged  in  reading.  As  I  was  not 
particularly  pressed  with  business,  I  lit  my  cigar, 
sat  down  by  her  side,  and  spent  an  hour  in  de- 
lightful communion  with  her.  In  some  way  our 
minds  ranged  over  the  field  of  the  past,  and  we 
talked  together  of  our  lover  days  ;  of  the  war  and 
its  varied  incidents  ;  of  our  struggle  in  Baltimore; 
of  our  life  in  the  East  ;  of  our  dead  babies — the 
one  sleeping  under  the  elms  of  Greenmount  and 
the  other  beneath  the  shadow  of  the  Pyramids — 
and  of  our  happy  days  in  Paris.  ^'  One  thing  is 
certain,"  she  said,  we  have  not  only  loved  each 
other  supremely,  but  we  have  been  the  best  of 
friends  through  it  all."  Of  course,  we  talked  of 
you — of  your  devotion  to  me  and  of  your  kindness 
to  her  in  the  birth  of  her  babies — and  wondered 
what  you  would  say  when  a  little  Frenchman  was 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  533 

called  after  you.  Then  a  note  was  brought  to  her 
from  a  friend,  and  as  she  was  engaged  in  reading 
it  I  planted  a  kiss  upon  her  brow  and  took  my  de- 
parture, my  mind  filled  with  the  tender  sentiments 
and  sweet  memories  which  her  words  had  inspired. 

After  I  had  left^  first  one  of  my  daughters  and 
then  the  other  remained  with  her,  while  she  chatted 
gaily  and  seemed  unusually  well  and  happy. 

She  was  then  left  alone  for  a  short  time,  when  a 
servant  in  an  adjoining  room  heard  something  like 
a  groan,  and  rushing  into  her  chamber  found  her 
unconscious  and  in  convulsions. 

The  entire  household  was  immediately  at  her 
bedside,  and  made  every  posible  effort  to  arouse  her, 
but  all  in  vain  ;  she  spoke  not  a  word,  she  gave  no 
sign  of  consciousness. 

Having  made  my  round  of  visits  I  hurried  home, 
never  dreaming  of  danger,  and  anticipating  her 
wonted  welcome  of  love  and  tenderness — to  be  met 
at  the  door  by  my  eldest  daughter  with  blanched 
cheeks  and  tearful  eyes  and  the  terrible  announce- 
ment that  her  mother  "  had  fainted  and  could  not 
be  revived."  Benumbed  with  fright  and  horror,  I 
rushed  into  her  chamber,  to  find  my  darling  speech- 
less and  convulsed,  attacked  with  puerperal  eclamp- 
sia in  its  congestive  and  most  fatal  form.  How  I 
summoned  the  physicians  of  the  neighborhood  ; 
listened  to  the  death  sentence  which  they  immedi- 
ately pronounced  ;  saw  them  exhaust  remedies  in 
the  vain  hope  of  resisting  the  march  of  death  ; 
joined  in  the  prayer  for  the  dying  at  her  bedside  ; 
and  witnessed  nature's  last  despairing  struggle  as 
her  pure  spirit  left  its  earthly  tabernacle  and 
winged  its  flight  to  Heaven,  are  burnt  as  if  with  a 
hot  iron  into  my  heart,  and  can  never  be  erased 
from  my  memory. 

You  knew  her,  my  friend,  and  you  can  appreciate 


534  A   doctor's   EXPERIENCES 

tlie  fulness  of  my  grief  and  the  depth  of  my  despair. 
You  can  understand  how  utterly  lonely  and  desolate 
life  is  without  her.  You  can  comprehend  how  it  is 
that,  deprived  of  her  guidance  and  support,  I  float 
upon  the  tide  of  existence  like  some  rudderless  ship, 
a  plaything  of  the  billows,  and  at  the  mercy  of  the 
storm. 

It  was  thus  that  my  once  happy  home  was  de- 
spoiled of  its  sunshine  and  filled  with  darkness.  It 
was  thus  that  my  cup  of  happiness  became  a  mock- 
ery, and  that  its  waters  were  wasted  and  scattered 
to  the  winds. 

It  is  thus  that  death  has  pursued  me  around  the 
world,  robbing  me  of  my  treasures,  and  shrouding 
my  soul  in  an  eternal  gloom. 

About  a  week    after    this    dreadful    calamity   I 
was  sitting  with  my  children  by  my  lonely  hearth,, 
a  prey  to  sad  reflections  and  bitter  memories,  when 
there  was  a  ring  at  the  door,    and  a   letter    was 
brought  to  me  inclosed  in  an  official  envelope. 

^*  Read  it,  my  daughter,"  I  said  to  my  eldest 
child,  '^  for  I  really  have  not  the  energy  to  break 
the  seal. ' '  In  a  moment  her  arms  were  around  my 
neck,  while  she  exclaimed:  "^  Cheer  up,  father  ! 
Cheer  up  !  This  is  glorious  news  !  Oh  !  I  am  so 
proud.  You  have  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor.*  Thank  God  !  Just  listen  to  this,"  and 
she  read  aloud  the  following  letter  : 

^'MoNSEiUR  :  J'ai  examine  avec  interet  les  titres 
que  vous  vousetes  acquis  parvotre  devouement  et  vos 
services  a  une  marque  de  distinction  particuliere,  et 
je  suis  heureux  de  vous  annoncer  que  M.  le  Presi- 
dent de  la  Republique  a  bien  voulu,  sur  ma  pro- 
position, vous  conferer  la  Croix  de  Chevalier  de  la 


*See  Appendix  (Z). 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  535 

Legion  d'Honneur.  Je  me  felicite  d'avoir  ete  a 
me  me  d'appeler  sur  vous  cette  marque  de  bien  veil- 
lance  de  la  part  du  Chef  de  I'Etat.  J'aurai  soin 
<de  vous  faire  parvenir  tres  prochainement  le  diplome 
et  les  insignes  de  I'Ordre. 

Recevez,  Monsieur,  I'assurance  de  ma  considera- 
tion distinguee. 

Le  President  du  Conseil,  Ministre  des  Affaires 
Etrangeres. 

(Signed)  Waddington. 

Monsieur  le  Docteur  Warren,  Paris. 

"  And  she  not  here,"  was  my  first  thought  and 
exclamation. 

'•But  we  are  here,  father,"  cried  both  of  my 
-children. 

"  Yes  m}^  loves,  and  for  your  dear  sakes  I  rejoice 
that  this  great  honor  has  come  to  me.  How  much 
loetter  that  it  should  have  come  in  this  way — on 
professional  grounds  and  as  a  special  mark  of  distinc- 
tion. How  grateful  I  am  to  Mr.  Waddington  for 
remembering  me  1  Nor  shall  I  ever  forget  Mr. 
Gigot,  the  Count  de  Narbonne,  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
■old  Abbe  Blanc  and  the  other  kind  friends  for  what 
they  have  done  in  the  matter.  I  certainly  have  been 
blessed  with  good  friends,  and  that  is  something  to 
Idc  proud  of  and  grateful  for  in  this  life." 

'^  It  is  a  great  honor,  father,"  said  my  daughter, 
"  and  it  is  you  who  have  merited  and  won  it,  though 
I  am  not  the  less  grateful  to  your  friends,  and  es- 
pecially for  their  thoughtfulness  at  this  particular 
moment.     I  shall  love  .them  as  long  as  I  live." 

"  Bring  me  pen  and  paper  and  let  me  write  and 
thank  them  at  once.  What  a  curious  experience  I 
have  had  in  life !  How  strangely  are  its  misfor- 
tunes and  its  blessings  mingled  in  the  w^oof  of  my 
destiny  !     My  promotion  in  Egypt  came  a  few  days 


536  A  doctor's  experiences 

after  the  baby's  death,  you  remember,  and  now  the 
greatest  honor  of  my  life  comes  immediately  after 
my  greatest  misfortune.  Such  has  been  my  lot 
always  and  so  it  will  be  to  the  end,  I  suppose. 
But  what  do  I  care  for  honors  when  your  mother 
is  not  here  to  share  them  with  me?" 

^' Don't  talk  in  that  way,  dear  father,  for  our 
sakes.  Besides,  she  rejoices  over  them — she  shares 
them  with  you,  and  it  may  be  that  she  has  sent 
this  to  cheer  and  to  console  you." 

"  I  wish  I  had  your  faith,  my  child." 

'^It  is  her  faith,  father.  She  taught  me  to  be- 
lieve so,  and  you  must  think  so,  as  well." 

"  I  know  that  she  is  with«the  blessed.  If  I  had 
never  before  believed  in  a  heaven  I  should  believe 
in  it  now,  for  there  must  be  a  home  for  such  pure 
spirits  as  hers  to  dw^ell  and  rest  in." 

Few  things  have  proved  more  valuable  to  me 
than  the  piece  of  red  ribbon  which  I  wear  in  my 
button  hole,  since  in  France  it  is  always  accepted 
as  an  evidence  of  the  respectability  and  position  of 
its  possessor.  I  have  found  it  of  special  service 
when  brought  in  contact  with  members  of  our  pro- 
fession, for  their  appreciation  of  foreign  confreres 
requires  stimulation,  and  they  are  all  so  desirous  of 
wearing  "  the  cross  "  themselves  that  they  never 
fail  to  honor  the  man  who  has  been  fortunate 
enough  to  win  it. 

One  thing  can  be  said  in  regard  to  this  decora- 
tion which  materially  enhances  its  value,  and  it  is, 
that  money  cannot  buy  it.  There  are  numbers  of 
persons  in  France  who  would  gladly  expend  mill- 
ions to  obtain  it,  but  there  is  no  instance  on  record 
in  connection  with  which  there  has  been  even  a 
suspicion  of  bribery  or  corruption  in  this  regard. 
Political  influences  may  perhaps  have  led  to  too  lib- 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  537 

eral  a  distribution  of  it,  but  venality  has  played  no 
part  in  the  matter. 

Speaking  of  decorations,  I  must  .tell  you  that  one 
of  Tewfick  Pasha's  first,  acts  was  to  send  me  the 
star  of  the  Osmanieh — one  of  the  highest  orders, 
and  I  reproduce  with  great  satisfaction  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Wolf,  the  consul-general  of  the  United 
States  at  Cairo,  explaining  the  grounds  upon  which 
it  was  given  : 

United  States  Agency  and  Consulate- G-eneral^ 

Cairo,  March  2,  1882. 
Dr.  E.  Warren-Bey. 

Dear  Sir  :  I  have  the  honor  to  inclose  herewith 
the  decree  of  his  highness,  the  Khedive  of  Egypt, 
appointing  you  a  Commander  of  the  Osmanieh ;  also 
the  decoration  of  the  same  grade. 

This  honor  has  been  conferred  upon  you  for  valu- 
able and  important  services  rendered  in  Egypt,  and 
for  great  medical  skill  displayed  in  Paris. 
I  am,  dear  sir,  your  very  obedient  servant, 

S.  Wolf, 
Agent  and  Consul-General. 

Besides  the  orders  to  which  I  have  already  re- 
ferred in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  I  have  received 
that  of  the  Kedemption  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  of 
Jerusalem,  and  that  of  the  White  Cross  of  Italy,  to- 
gether with  the  medal  of  Victor  Emanuel,  all,  I  am 
proud  to  say,  on  account  of  professional  successes 
and  work  done  in  the  cause  of  humanity. 

I  have  also  had  the  honor  of  receiving  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  C.  M. — Master  of  Surgery— from 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Balti- 
more, and  that  of  LL.  D. — Doctor  of  Laws — from 
the  University  of  North  Carolina,  the  latter  being 


538  A  doctor's  experiences 

accompanied  by  the  following  letter  from  tlie  Hon. 
Kemp  P.  Battle,  president  of  the  institution  : 

University  of  North  Carolina, 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  20^A  June,  1884. 
Dr.  Edward  Warren-Bey. 

Sir:  In  recognition  of  your  distinguished  ability 
and  learning  and  services  to  humanity,  the  board 
of  trustees  and  the  faculty  of  the  University  of 
North  Carolina  have  unanimously  conferred  on 
you  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

They  hope  that  you  will  accept  this  evidence  of 
the  regard  of  the  university  of  your  native  State. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obt.  servt., 

Kemp  P.  Battle, 

President. 

Coming  from  the  universitj^  of  my  native  State 
this  degree  has  proved  the  source  of  more  real  grat- 
ification than  all  of  my  foreign  honors  combined. 
It  has,  likewise,  warmed  up  my  bosom  toward 
North  Carolina  and  inspired  me  with  a  stronger 
desire  and  a  firmer  purpose  to  prove  myself  worthy 
of  her — worthy  to  be  recognized  as  her  son  and  to 
wear  her  honors.  I  have  always  loved  her,  but 
my  affection  is  now  intensified,  and  I  feel  that 
there  is  not  a  rock  upon  her  rugged  mountains  nor 
a  blade  of  grass  within  her  grand  savannas  nor  a 
ripple  upon  her  majestic  streams — not  a  foot  of  her 
soil  from  Buncombe  to  the  sea  without  a  place  in 
my  heart ;  and  wherever  my  feet  may  wander  or 
whatever  my  fate  may  be,  for  her  my  every 
thought. shall  be  a  prayer,  and  my  latest  breath  a 
blessing. 

For  freely  my  life's  blood  bestowing, 
For  her  I  would  sever  each  vein ; 

And  die  for  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
My  anguish  had  saved  her  a  pain. 


IN   THREE   CONTINENTS.  539 

It  had  been  my  purpose  to  give  you  a  detailed 
narrative  of  my  experiences  in  Paris,  but  this 
work  has  already  been  extended  beyond  the  limits 
of  my  original  purpose,  and  reflection  has  con- 
vinced me  that  I  am  too  closely  identified  with  the 
incidents  and  persons  I  would  describe  to  write 
with  freedom  respecting  them. 

I  must  therefore  bring  these  memoirs  to  a  con- 
clusioD,  with  one  page  of  my  life's  history  only 
partially  written,  hoping  at  some  future  time  to 
And  myself  in  a  position  to  supply  the  deficiency. 

Before  bidding  you  adieu  I  must  say  this  much  : 
The  longer  I  have  resided  abroad  the  more  in- 
tensely American  have  I  become  and  the  greater 
has  grown  my  love  and  appreciation  of  my  native 
land.  Other  lands  may  possess  their  treasures  of 
art,  their  marvels  of  luxury,  their  triumphs  of 
architecture,  and  all  that  is  calculated  to  captivate 
the  imagination  and  to  ravish  the  senses,  but  for 
the  truest  solution  of  the  problem  of  existence,  the 
grandest  victories  of  human  skill  over  the  laws  of 
nature,  the  most  fortuitous  combination  of  those 
conditions  which  constitute  society,  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  a  governmental  system — that  which  gov- 
erns the  least  and  protects  the  most — America  is 
the  land  pre-eminently  blessed  of  Heaven.  Call 
me  an  enthusiast  if  you  will,  but  for  me  her  skies 
are  the  brightest,  her  mountains  the  grandest,  her 
rivers  the  broadest,  her  fields  the  greenest,  her 
women  the  loveliest,  her  men  the  noblest,  her  his- 
tory the  proudest,  and  all  that  relates  to  her  the 
best  of  all  the  world  besides.  Elsewhere  her  sons 
may  be  content  to  linger  for  a  season,  but  to  them 
she  is  the  only  land  in  which  they  can  ever  realize 
the  idea  of  liome  or  feel  that  they  are  aught  else 
than  aliens  and  sojourners. 


540    A  doctor's  experiences  in  three  continents. 

And  now  the  hour  has  come  for  parting,  and  I 
bid  you  farewell  with  a  heart  filled  with  affection 
and  gratitude,  and  the  assurance  that  my  prayers 
shall  never  fail  to  invoke  heaven's  richest  blessings 
on  you  and  yours. 


APPENDIX. 


I  append  a  postscript  in  order  to  bring  out  more  conspicu- 
ously certain  facts  respecting  Egypt  and  Paris. 

A — The  word  Khedive  is  of  Eastern  origin,  and 
signifies  something  more  than  viceroy  and  little 
less  than  king.  Ismail  Pasha  was  the  first  of  the 
rulers  of  Egypt  to  whom  the  Sultan  accorded  this 
title — and  he  had  to  pay  well  for  it — but  it  is  now 
hereditary. 


B — The  Citadel,  as  it  is  designated  at  present,  is 
an  establishment  partaking  both  of  the  nature  of  a 
palace  and  of  a  fortification.  It  contains  a  selam- 
lik  and  hareem — both  magnificently  decorated — 
<]^uarters  for  officers,  barracks  for  soldiers,  stabling 
for  several  hundred  horses,  and  endless  courts, 
arsenals,  magazines,  depots  and  workshops,  while 
it  is  surrounded  by  a  massive  stone  wall,  upon  the 
parapets  of  which  are  mounted  cannon,  commanding 
Cairo  and  the  surrounding  country. 

It  is  the  center  of  everything  military  appertain- 
ing to  Egypt,  the  minister  of  war  and  the  heads 
of  the  various  branches  of  the  service  having  their 
offices  there,  a  considerable  force  of  all  arms  being 
always  stationed  in  ili^  and  a  large  supply  of  muni- 
tions and  stores  being  deposited  in  its  spacious  re- 
ceptacles.    It  is  not  only  used  as  the  ministry  of 


542  APPENDIX. 

war,  but  it  is  kept  as  an  asylum  for  the  Khedive 
and  his  family  in  the  event  of  any  revolution  or  in- 
vasion, with  everything  arranged  to  conduce  ta 
their  comfort  and  security,  and  with  Cairo  and  the 
surrounding  country  at  the  mercy  of  its  guns. 

It  was  in  the  main  court  of  this  palace  that  the 
massacre  of  the  Mamelukes  took  place.  Mehemet 
Ali,  having  been  ordered  by  the  Sultan  to  make  war 
on  the  Wahabees,  and  knowing  that  it  was  a  plot  for 
his  destruction,  because  it  constrained  him  to  leave 
the  Mamelukes — his  implacable  and  unscrupulous- 
enemies — behind  him,  he  invited  them  to  a  grand 
banquet  at  the  Citadel,  and  when  they  were  leaving 
it  and  had  assembled  in  its  court-yard  he  opened 
fire  on  them  with  artillery  and  musketry — with  the 
result  of  destroying  all  but  one  of  the  entire  band. 
Emin-Bey,  their  chief,  leaped  his  horse  from  the 
parapet  to  the  plain  below — a  distance  of  sixty  feet — 
and  then  took  refuge  in  a  mosque,  where  he  found 
an  asylum  until  a  path  was  opened  for  him  to  the 
favor  of  the  destroyer  of  his  friends  and  followers. 

Mehemet  Ali  has  been  condemned  without  stint 
or  limitation  for  his  treachery  in  this  regard. 
Having  passed  daily  for  months  over  the  scene  of 
this  massacre,  I  have  reflected  much  on  all  the  facts 
connected  with  it,  and  have  reached  the  conclusion 
that  more  than  a  full  measure  of  censure  has  been 
heaped  upon  him.  Without  pretending  to  acquit 
him  of  blame,  I  would  premise  by  saying  that  his 
conduct  should  not  be  measured  by  ordinary  stand- 
ards, but  by  those  which  the  circumstances  of  the 
case  and  the  ethics  of  the  period  unite  in  establish- 
ing. They  were  all  rude  and  desperate  men,  living 
by  the  sword,  and  taking  the  chances  of  life  and 
death  at  every  breath — each  |farty  seeking  to  obtain 
the  advantage  of  the  other  Avithout  regard  to  the 
means  employed^  and  to  push  that  advantage  to  an 


APPENDIX.  543 

extremity.  The  country  was  not  large  enough  for 
both  of  them,  and  either  the  Mamelukes  or  Mehemet 
All  had  to  go  to  the  wall — had  to  be  crushed  and 
annihilated — and  the  sooner,  and  the  more  effectu- 
ally this  stamping-out  process  could  be  effected  by 
one  or  the  other,  the  better  for  the  country  and  for 
humanity. 

Mehemet  Ali  knew  that  to  turn  his  back  upon 
his  enemies — to  leave  the  Mamelukes  with  all  their 
vindictiveness,  unscrupulousness  and  power  of  evil 
in  his  rear — was  to  consent  to  his  own  destruction  ; 
and  hence  rather  than  become  their  victim  he  victi- 
mized them.  Instead  of  playing  the  role  of  a 
martyr  he  boldly  played  that  of  an  executioner. 
It  was  veritably  a  question  with  the  Pasha  of  Aut 
Ccesar,  aut  mdhcs,  and  he  decided  in  favor  of  Ccesar, 
as  most  men  would  have  done  under  like  circum- 
stances. 

Of  course,  ethically  considered  the  path  of  duty 
was  in  the  direction  of  the  Wahabees,  and  his  obli- 
gation was  to  follow  it,  leaving  the  result  to  Provi- 
dence ;  but  unfortunately  he  was  a  Turk— he  pro- 
fessed that  faith  which  has  been  promulgated  by  the 
sword  and  which  recognizes  no  other  argument  or 
arbitrament. 

However  unpardonable  the  sin  of  the  Viceroy 
may  have  been,  it  proved  an  unmitigated  blessing 
to  Egypt,  since  it  destroyed  the  power  of  those 
"  furious  horsemen"  who  had  so  long  been  its  terror 
and  its  scourge,  and  inaugurated  the  only  approxi- 
mation to  peace  within  its  borders  which  it  had 
known  for  at  least  a  century. 

Such  were  my  reflections  as  I  drove  over  the 
ground  which  received  the  blood  of  these  haughty 
desperadoes  ;  and  when  I  united  to  them  the  con- 
sideration that  but  for  their  destruction  the  dynasty 
of  Mehemet  Ali  would  never   have   existed — that 


544  APPENDIX. 

Ibrahim,  Said  and  Ismail  would  have  been  tobacco 
merchants  or  sheep  graziers,  as  their  fathers  were — 
and  that  Egypt  would  have  remained  only  a 
province  of  the  Sultan,  steeped  in  ignorance,  sur- 
rendered to  fanaticism,  and  without  that  great 
work  which  is  the  highway  of  the  nations  and  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world,  I  must  confess  to  you 
that  I  have  shed  no  tears  over  their  slaughter,  and 
uttered  no  anathemas  against  their  destroyer. 

My  offices  were  in  the  Citadel,  and  gorgeous 
affairs  they  were,  with  silk-covered  divans,  damask 
curtains,  arabesbue  cornices,  elaborate  wainscots, 
lofty  walls,  sk^^-blue  ceilings,  marble  floors,  and 
other  marvels  of  Eastern  luxury.  They  had  evi- 
dently been  intended  as  the  apartments  of  some 
high  functionary  about  the  court,  and  were  want- 
ing in  nothing  that  oriental  taste  could  suggest  or 
that  money  wrung  from  despairing  fellahs  could 
supply. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  magnificence  not  a  picture 
nor  a  statue  was  to  be  found,  as  such  works  are 
contrary  to  the  Moslem  creed,  being  regarded  as 
tricks  of  the  devil  and  evidences  only  of  the  weak- 
ness of  human  nature.  The  Prophet  is  very  em- 
phatic in  his  denunciation  of  the  makers  of  pictures 
and  images,  declaring  that  at  the  day  of  judgment 
every  representation  of  things  of  this  kind  will  be 
placed  before  its  author,  and  that  he  will  be  required 
to  infuse  life  into  it,  under  the  penalty  of  being 
cast  into  hell  in  the  event  of  failure. 

Ismail  Pasha,  in  defiance  alike  of  the  injunction 
of  the  Koran  and  the  prejudices  of  his  people,  had 
erected  in  Cairo  a  fine  equestrian  statue  of  Ibrahim 
Pasha,  his  distinguished  father,  but  one  of  tbe 
first  acts  of  the  populace  in  the  days  of  Arabi's  fiasco 
was  to  pull  it  down  and  to  break  it  into  fragments. 

Photographs  of  the  Khedive  and  his  sons  were, 


APPENDIX.  545 

however,  exposed  for  sale  in  all  the  bookstores  of 
Cairo,  and  I  have  in  my  possession  one  of  his  eldest 
daughter,  feminine  vanity  having  triumphed  over 
the  precepts  of  Islam  and  the  difficulties  of  her 
position. 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  photograph  was 
taken  by  a  female  operative,  as  she  would  hardly 
have  ventured  to  expose  her  face  to  a  male,  whatever 
her  inclinations  may  have  been. 


C — In  Egypt  great  stress  is  put  upon  the  cover- 
ing of  the  head.  Beys  and  pashas  invariably  wear 
the  tarbouche,  taking  care  to  have  them  of  fine 
quality — those  made  in  Constantinople  being  pre- 
ferred— and  never  going  without  them  save  when 
about  to  retire  for  the  night.  The  man  of  highest 
position  in  any  company  has  the  right  to  remove 
his  tarhouclie  temporarily,  while  it  is  considered  a 
mark  of  ill-breeding  and  an  impoliteness  for  an  in- 
ferior to  do  so.  One  of  the  reasons  for  wearing 
the  tarhouche  so  persistently  is  that  it  is  customary 
for  the  Egyptians  to  shave  their  heads,  leaving 
only  a  single  patch  on  the  apex.  This  custom — 
that  of  leaving  a  topknot — according  to  Lane, 
^^  originated  in  the  fear  that  if  the  Moslem  should 
fall  into  the  hands  of  an  infidel  and  be  slain, 
the  latter  might  cut  off  the  head  of  his  victim,  and 
finding  no  hair  by  which  to  hold  it,  put  his  im- 
pure hand  into  the  mouth  in  order  to  carry  it." 
The  head  is  shaved  as  a  matter  of  cleanliness  and 
comfort.  Believing  it  inconsistent  with  the  re- 
spect that  is  due  to  everything  which  has  apper- 
tained to  the  human  body  to  leave  it  upon  the 
ground,  they  take  great  pains  to  gather  up  clip- 
pings of  hair  and  to  preserve  them. 

Those  below  the  ranks  of  bey  and  pasha — which 
35 


546  APPENDIX. 

are  regarded  as  titles  of  nobility — wear  turbans 
varying  in  color  and  shape  according  to  the  posi- 
tions and  circumstances  of  their  wearers.  Thus, 
the  Copts  wear  black  turbans  ;  the  descendants  of 
Mohammed  green  ;  the  Jewish  subjects  of  the  Sul- 
tan blue  or  light  brown,  and  the  Moslems  white. 

The  hat  is  held  in  utter  disdain,  being  regarded 
as  an  open  acknowledgment  of  Christianity  and  of 
avowed  antagonism  to  Islam. 

I  was  quite  amused  during  the  late  war  between 
Kussia  and  Turkey  to  notice  the  appearance  or  the- 
disappearance  of  tarhouches  according  as  matters 
went  well  or  ill  with  the  Turkish  arms.  When- 
ever there  was  a  report  of  a  victory  for  the  Turks^, 
red  fezes  bloomed  out  extravagantly  in  the  streets 
of  Paris,  but  when  the  intelligence  of  disaster  ar- 
rived, they  disappeared  as  if  by  magic,  and  the- 
Moslem  heads  which  had  gloried  in  them  knew 
them  no  more  for  the  time  being. 


D — Alexandria  was  founded  by  Alexander  the 
Great  in  the  year  332  B.  C.  Having  taken  pos- 
session of  Egypt  without  striking  a  blow,  and  find- 
ing that  there  was  no  opportunity  for  exercising 
his  valor,  he  occupied  himself  in  the  task  of  im- 
proving his  conquest,  and,  with  the  inspiration  of 
genius,  selected  the  site  of  a  city  which,  in  the 
language  of  a  historian,  ^'should  derive  from 
nature  more  permanent  advantages  than  the  favor 
of  the  greatest  princes  could  bestow."  Such  was 
the  sagacity  of  his  choice  that  within  the  space  of 
twenty  years  Alexandria  rose  to  a  distinguished 
eminence  among  the  cities  of  Egypt  and  the  East, 
and  continued  throughout  all  the  subsequent  ages 
of  antiquity  "the   principal   bond    of  union,    the 


APPENDIX.  547 

seat  of  correspondence  and  commerce  among  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  earth." 

The  destruction  of  the  Alexandrian  library  has 
always  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  unfortun- 
ate events  recorded  in  history.  The  quarter  of 
the  city  called  Bruchon  was  the  seat  of  the  palaces 
and  of  the  museum  which  contained  the  greater 
portion  of  this  library — at  least  four  hundred 
thousand  volumes.  This  building  remained  in- 
tact until  the  reign  of  Aurelian,  and  was  then  de- 
stroyed during  some  civil  commotion.  The  Sera- 
pion  or  temple  of  Jupiter  Serapis,  containing  the 
remainder  of  the  library,  was  destroyed  under  the 
reign  of  Theodosius  the  Great,  who  devoted  all  of 
the  heathen  temples  to  destruction  without  taking 
into  account  the  immense  injury  done  to  learning 
and  civilization  by  his  intemperate  zeal  for  Chris- 
tianity. Though  commended  by  ancient  writers  as 
"a  prince  blessed  with  every  virtue,  and  debased 
by  no  vicious  propensity,"  he  thus  committed  an 
act  of  unparalleled  barbarity — one  for  which  he 
has  been  censured  by  the  devotees  of  letters  and 
of  science  in  every  age.  An  attempt,  as  you 
know,  has  been  made  to  hold  the  Arabs  under  Omar 
responsible  for  this  act  of  vandalism,  but  it  is 
lamentably  true  that  the  great  Christian  Emperor, 
who  in  all  other  respects  seemed  a  paragon  of  vir- 
tue and  enlightenment,  was  the  real  author.  It  was 
not  only  as  an  emporium  of  commerce  and  a  treas- 
ure-house of  wealth  that  Alexandria  was  so  long 
known  to  fame,  but  the  city  was  equally  distin- 
guished as  a  seat  of  literature  and  science.  Nearly 
all  that  is  known  of  ancient  literature  is  due  to 
the  Alexandrian  school,  and  but  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  museum  and  the  Serapion  the  debt  of 
obligation  in  this  regard  would  have  been  immeas- 
urably greater. 


548  APPENDIX. 

The  modern  city  of  Alexandria  stands  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  great  metropolis  which  Alexander 
founded  and  Ptolemy  embellished.  Under  the  in- 
spiration of  Mehemet  Ali  aad  his  successors — es- 
jjecially  Ismail  Pasha — it  had  arisen  from  its  ashes, 
and  was  fast  becoming  again  a  center  of  commerce 
and  a  home  of  wealth  and  luxury.  They  had 
adorned  it  with  palaces,  beautified  it  with  gardens 
and  streets  which  vied  with  those  of  Paris  in  elegance, 
erected  a  modern  light-house  in  the  place  of  its 
ancient  Pharos,  given  it  a  harbor  which  was  one  of 
the  safest  and  most  commodious  possessed  by  any 
civilized  city,  and  laid  out  in  its  center  a  public 
square  filled  with  fountains,  ornamented  with  shade 
trees,  adorned  with  a  statue  of  Mehemet  Ali,  and 
surrounded  by  magnificent  public  buildings.  In 
an  evil  hour,  and  under  the  teachings  of  a  few  bad 
men,  the  populace  attempted  to  avenge  their 
wrongs  and  to  give  expression  to  their  religious 
fanaticism  by  rising  against  the  foreigners  in  their 
midst  and  murdering  a  large  number  of  them. 
The  English  admiral,  recognizing  that  his  country- 
men had  been  the  special  objects  of  this  attack, 
and  that  many  of  them  had  been  massacred,  deter- 
mined upon  a  scheme  of  vengeance,  which  the  bad 
faith  of  Arabi  in  working  upon  the  batteries  at 
night  in  contradiction  to  his  assertions  and  prom- 
ises, soon  furnished  him  with  an  excuse  for  realizing. 
The  guns  of  the  English  fleet  opened  upon  the 
city,  and  after  a  bombardment  of  a  few  hours,  its 
new-born  glory  had  departed — it  was  a  heap  of 
unsightly  ruins,  with  devastating  fires  raging 
throughout  its  limits. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  but  one  which  I 
chronicle  with  infinite  pleasure,  that  the  princij^al 
agent  in  extinguishing  these  fires  and  thereby  pre- 
venting the  complete   destruction    of  Alexandria 


APPENDIX.  549 

was  an  American — Colonel  Chaille  Long-Bey,  the 
distinguished  central  African  explorer.  Business 
having  called  him  to  Egypt,  he  was  residing  in 
the  country  when  Arabi  raised  the  standard  of  re- 
bellion against  the  Khedive  and  his  English  allies, 
and  in  response  to  a  request  from  the  State  De- 
partment at  Washington,  he  took  charge  of  the 
consulate  at  Alexandria,  and  sought  refuge  on  an 
American  man-of-war  during  the  progress  of  the 
bombardment.  Ever  true  to  his  trust,  and  with 
the  same  heroic  courage  which  had  distinguished 
him  in  other  fields,  he  was  among  the  first  to  land, 
andj  aided  by  a  detachment  of  United  States  ma- 
rines, was  foremost  and  most  successful  in  arrest- 
ing the  devastating  flames.  Admiral  Nicholson — ■ 
the  officer  in  command  of  the  American  fleet  then 
stationed  in  Egyptian  waters — remarked  to  me  that 
the  "  real  hero  of  Alexandria  was  Colonel  Long/' 
and  I  have  seen  numerous  letters  from  the  owners 
of  property  around  the  "great  square" — notably 
from  the  officials  of  the  English  churcb  which  is 
located  there — thanking  him  in  glowing  and  grate- 
ful terms  for  his  brave  efforts  in  their  behalf. 

A  proposition  was  made  in  Congress  to  honor 
him  with  a  vote  of  thanks,  but  it  died  in  the  hands 
of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs,  and  besides 
a  formal  letter  from  the  State  Department,  there 
has  been  no  recognition  of  his  services.  And  yet 
he  remained  at  a  post  which  had  been  deserted  be- 
cause of  its  danger  ;  he  preserved  -the  consulate 
and  its  archives  from  destruction  ;  he  assisted  in 
the  embarkation,  and,  consequently  in  the  preser- 
vation of  many  helpless  people  ;  and  it  was  mainly 
by  his  courage,  enterprise  and  intelligence  that 
Alexandria  was  saved  from  utter  destruction. 
Republics  have  never  been  accused  of  the  virtue  of 
gratitude,  you  know,  and  it  is  usually  the  appre- 


550  APPEJTDIX. 

elation  of  coming  favors  that  inspires  this  senti- 
ment under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  I 
hope  to  see  the  day,  however,  when  my  gallant 
and  deserving  friend  will  return  to  Egypt  as  the 
representative  of  his  country,  for  no  man  is  more 
deserving  the  honor,  or  none  would  fill  the  office 
of  consul-general  with  greater  credit  to  himself  and 
honor  to  his  native  land.     Inshallali! 

With  this  city  is  associated  the  most  remarkable 
woman  in  history.  The  beauty  and  fascination  of 
Cleopatra  have  been  the  theme  of  the  historian  and 
the  poet  for  centuries,  and  yet  its  interest  never 
seems  to  abate.  As  infamous  as  was  her  character, 
and  as  detestable  as  were  her  crimes,  there  is  a 
halo  of  romance  surrounding  this  woman  which 
none  fail  to  recognize  and  appreciate.  The  daugh- 
ter of  one  of  the  Ptolemys  and  the  sister  and  wife 
of  another,  possessing  marvelous  beauty  and  con- 
^summate  cunning,  she  played  for  thrones  or  human 
hearts  with  a  recklessness  unknown  before  or  since 
in  history.  Her  intrigue  with  Antony — that  won- 
derful compound  of  virtues  and  vices,  and,  indeed, 
of  all  conceivable  extremes — was  the  great  sensa- 
tion of  the  period,  and  the  story  has  come  through 
the  circling  ages  bereft  of  none  of  its  piquancj"  and 
fascination.  Fired  with  indignation  because  of  her 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  Brutus^  the  old  hero  sum- 
moned her  to  his  presence  that  he  might  condemn 
and  punish  her.  She  responded  but  only  to  play 
the  role  of  a  sorceress  and  a  conqueror — to  bind  the 
the  soul  of  the  great  triumvir  to  the  chariot  wheels 
of  her  matchless  beauty,  and  to  drag  him  to  his 
humiliation  and  his  death.  Arrayed  in  gorgeous 
apparel,  with  her  transcendent  charms  displayed 
to  the  greatest  advantage,  her  keen  wit  whetted  to 
the  sharpest  edge,  her  subtle  character  attuned  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  fineness,  the  mistress  of  every 


APPENDIX.  *  551 

art  and  guile  and  of  the  most  consummate  co- 
quetry, she  dazzled  and  crazed  the  but  too  suscep- 
tible soldier  at  the  first  glance.  From  that  time 
forth  he  became  her  obsequious  slave,  her  enrap- 
tured worshiper,  her  pliant  instrument.  Forget- 
ting his  obligation  to  his  wife,  his  allegiance  to  his 
€Ountry,  his  duty  as  a  soldier,  and  his  honor  as  a 
man,  he  found  his  consummation  of  pleasure  in 
basking  in  her  smiles — his  dream  of  heaven  in 
lingering  in  her  arms.  Because  of  her  the  friendly 
Augutus  became  the  avenger  of  a  sister's  wrongs  ; 
the  '^approving  senate"  was  transformed  into  the 
instrument  of  a  country's  indignation  ;  the  waves 
of  Actium  were  made  the  ministers  of  an  adverse 
destiny  ;  and  a  sword  hallowed  by  its  consecration 
to  the  cause  of  friendship  and  to  the  interests  of 
justice  was  converted  into  the  implement  of  a  sui- 
cide's desperation.  She  proved,  in  fact,  the  bane 
of  his  ambition,  the  blight  of  his  pride,  the  grave 
of  his  glory,  and  the  curse  of  his  existence.  The 
story  has  at  least  served  one  good  purpose — it  has 
furnished  the  theme  for  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
verses  that  have  been  written  in  any  language. 
The  lines  produced  in  this  connection  by  General 
Lytel,  one  of  the  most  lamented  victims  of  our  late 
war,  possess  a  pathos  and  a  rhythm  which  have 
made  them  '^household  words"  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  yet,  notwithstanding  their 
familiarity,  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  re- 
j)roduce  them  here  ;  it  is  impossible  to  tire  of  read- 
ing them  : 


''ANTOXY'8  FAREWELL  TO  CLEOPATRA." 

I  am  dying,  Egypt,  dying. 

Ebbs  the  crimson  life-tide  fast, 

And  the  dark,  Pkitonian  shadows 
Gather  on  the  evening  blast ; 


552  ^  APPENDIX. 

Let  thy  arms,  O  Queen  !  support  me ; 

Hush  thy  sobs  and  bow  thine  ear ; 
Harken  to  the  great  heart-secrets 

Thou,  and  thou  alone,  must  hear. 

Though  my  scarred  and  veteran  legions 

Bear  their  eagles  high  no  more, 
And  my  wrecked  and  scattered  galleys 

Strew  dark  Actium's  fatal  shore ; 
Though  no  glittering  guards  surround  me^ 

Prompt  to  do  their  master's  will, 
I  must  i3erish  like  a  Eoman — 

Die  the  great  Triumvir  still. 

Let  not  Cfesar's  servile  minions 

Mock  the  lion  thus  laid  low ; 
'  Twas  no  foeman's  hand  that  slew  him. 

'  Twas  his  own  that  struck  the  blow. 
;_  Here,  then,  pilloAved  on  thy  bosom, 

Ere  his  star  fades  cpite  away,  • 
Him  who,  drunk  with  thy  caresses, 

Madly  threw  a  world  away ! 

Should  the  base,  plebeian  rabble 

Dare  assail  my  fame  at  Eome, 
Where  the  noljle  spouse,  Octavia, 

AVeeps  within  her  widowed  home ; 
Seek  her ;  say  the  gods  have  told  me, 

Altars,  augurs,  circling  wings. 
That  her  blood,  with  mine  commingling^ 

Yet  shall  mount  the  throne  of  kings. 

And  for  thee,  star-eyed  Egyptian ! 

Glorious  sorceress  of  the  Xile  ! 
.    Light  the  path  to  Stygian  horrors 

With  the  splendor  of  thy  smile. 
Give  to  C?esar  crowns  and  arches. 

Let  his  brow  the  laurel  twine ; 
I  can  scorn  the  Senate's  triumphs, 

Triumphing  in  love  like  thine. 

I  am  dying,  Egi'pt,  dying. 

Hark !  the  insulting  foeman's  cry, 
They  are  coming — quick,  my  falchion  I 

Let  me  front  them  ere  I  die. 
Ah  I  no  more  amid  the  battle 

Shall  my  heart  exulting  swell. 
Isis  and  Osiris  guard  thee, 

Cleopatra  I  .Rome !  Farewell ! 


1 


APPENDIX.  .  553 

Colonel  Jenifer's  quarters  were  immediately  upon 
the  sea,  and  in  them  I  spent  many  a  day  talking 
of  friends  and  kindred  far  away,  listening  to  the 
breakers'  roar,  gazing  upon  the  classic  objects  on 
every  side,  and  thinking  of  the  countless  thousands 
— each  possessing  a  distinct  identity,  and  with 
hopes  and  passions  like  ourselves — who  had  peo- 
pled the  land  around  us,  and  these  had  gone  in 
relays  of  generations  to  that  ''undiscovered  coun- 
try from  whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns." 

There  is  nothing  which  teaches  so  impressively 
the  lesson  of  human  insignificance  as  to  wander 
among  the  ruins  of  some  country  "  rich  with  the 
spoils  of  time,"  and  to  think  of  the  myriads  who 
have  peopled  it,  and  then  have  passed  away  for- 
ever. Egypt  thus  ever  seemed  to  me  a  grave  for 
the  interment  of  vanity  and  presumption.  Its 
monuments  and  relics  proclaimed  continually  to 
my  soul  the  lesson  of  human  impotence  and  insig- 
nificance, and  I  felt  always  as  if  I  bore  the  same 
relation  to  the  human  race  as  a  grain  of  sand  to  its 
mighty  desert — as  a  drop  of  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
to  that  grand  river  itself,  flowing  with  perpetually- 
renewed  currents  from  the  equator  to  the  sea. 


E — Said  Pasha,  the  son  of  Mehemit  Ali,  suc- 
ceeded Abbas  Pasha  on  the  throne  of  Egypt.  Abbas 
had  been  an  avaricious  tyrant,  and  as  Said  was 
known  to  be  a  man  of  kind  heart  and  generous  im- 
pulses, there  were  great  rejoicings  in  Egypt  over 
his  accession.  The  result  proved  that  he  possessed 
neither  stability  of  purpose  nor  equanimity  of 
temper,  and  his  administration  was  characterized 
by  no  settled  policy.  It  was,  in  fact,  only  a  suc- 
cession of  radical  and  conflicting  changes,  both  as 
regards  domestic  affairs  and  foreign  relations.  While 


554  APPENDIX. 

in  an  amicable  frame  of  mind,  lie  sought  by  every 
possible  means  to  improve  the  condition  of  his 
people,  but  when  swayed  by  his  vehement  temper, 
he  was  capable  of  any  phase  or  degree  of  tyranny. 

The  favorites  of  one  day  were  the  proscribed  of 
the  next,  and  nothing  seemed  certain  about  him 
save  the  uncertainty  of  his  favor.  The  failing 
health  of  his  later  years  only  served  to  multiply 
and  exaggerate  his  peculiarities,  and  to  render  him 
still  more  conspicuously  a  benefactor  and  a  despot 
— a  blessing  and  a  curse  to  his  country.  His  peo- 
ple were  alternately  overtaxed  and  overpetted,  out- 
raged and  insulted,  cajoled  and  persecuted,  until 
a  state  of  such  confusion  and  uncertainty  was  pro- 
duced as  to  preclude  alike  individual  prosperity 
and  national  progress 

His  reign  was  prevented  from  proving  an  abso- 
lute failure  by  the  fact  that  he  had  the  courage  to 
rise  above  the  prejudices  of  his  race  and  to  grant 
the  first  concession  for  the  construction  of  the  Suez 
canal — a  work  which  has  proved  of  inestimable 
value  to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  and  has  se- 
cured renown  for  all  who  were  connected  with  its 
inception. 

He  left  but  one  son,  Toussoun  Pasha,  who  was 
born  in  1853,  aud  for  whose  succession  to  the  throne 
he  vainly  expended  millions  of  pounds  in  bribing 
the  Porte. 

Ismail  Pasha,  with  that  liberality  and  good  sense 
which  so  signally  distinguished  his  career  as  a 
sovereign,  loaded  this  young  prince  with  favors, 
even  giving  him  one  of  his  daughters  as  a  wife, 
and  elevating  him  to  the  position  of  minister  of  the 
marine.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  character  and  of 
great  intelligence,  but  having  inherited  a  delicate 
constitution  from  his  father,  he  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-four,  lamented  by  all   who   knew  him, 


APPENDIX.  555 

and  especially  by  tlie  Khedive  and  his  sons.  His 
funeral,  which  took  place  in  Alexandria  in  July, 
1876,  was  one  of  the  most  gorgeous  pageants  ever 
witnessed  in  Egypt.  A  correspondent  in  describ- 
ing it  uses  the  following  language : 

'^On  the  8th  instant  from  early  dawn  an  immense 
crowd  of  natives  and  Europeans  thronged  the 
streets  and  open  places  between  the  Mosque  of 
Nebi-Daniel,  where  his  remains  were  to  be  depos- 
ited next  to  those  of  his  royal  father,  even  to  the 
palace  on  the  banks  of  the  Mahmondich  canal, 
where  he  breathed  his  last,  as  he  had  been  residing 
at  i^lexandria  for  some  time  past.  About  ten  in 
the  morning  the  funeral  cortege  filed  out  of  the 
palace  gates,  the  coffin  covered  with  a  white  Indian 
cashmere,  and  the  red  tarbouche  or  fez  cap  of  the 
dead  man  placed  upon  it  in  accordance  with  east- 
ern custom.  The  coffin,  as  is  customary,  was  car- 
ried some  distance  by  officers  of  the  navy,  who 
were  then  replaced  by  Egyptian  sailors.  The 
funeral  procession  was  preceded  by  men  on  horse- 
back, driving  before  them  a  dozen  fine  oxen — whose 
flesh  was  to  be  given  to  the  poor — followed  by  fifty 
camels  laden  with  bread,  dates  and  other  eatables, 
to  be  distributed  at  the  same  time  as  the  beef.  A 
squadron  of  lancers  followed  in  parallel  lines^  suc- 
ceeded by  three  battalions  of  infantry  with  their 
guns  under  the  left  arm,  and  several  hundreds  of 
sailors  and  soldiers  with  their  officers.  In  the 
center  of  the  line  marched  the  marine  band  bear- 
ing cashmere  shawls  and  vases  of  myrrh. 

' '  Then  followed  the  Mohammedan  ulamans  and 
ciders,  and  about  two  thousand  of  the  attaches  to 
the  mosques,  reciting  prayers  from  the  Koran.  The 
chief  mourners  were  the  near  relatives  of  the  de- 
ceased, headed  by  his  cousins  Mohammed-Tewfick, 
the  heir-apparent,  the  ministers  of  state   and   high 


556  APPENDIX. 

officials,  together  with  many  of  the  foreign  consuls. 
The  procession  was  further  swollen  by  the  pupils 
of  the  military  and  naval  schools  and  'by  several 
hundreds  of  the  professional  waiting  women,  whose 
wild  cries  and  theatrical  demonstrations  of  grief 
were  unsparingly  excited.  An  immense  number 
of  carriages  from  hareems,  and  belonging  to  Euro- 
peans, closed  the  long  file.  It  has  been  estimated 
that  not  less  than  sixty  thousand  persons  figured 
in  this  procession.  The  mortal  remains  of  the 
young  prince  were  deposited  in  the  tomb  of  his 
father.  Said,  near  the  lloJiarrem  Bey  Gate,  in  the 
mosque  of  Nebi-Daniel.  After  which  the  oxen 
were  slain  and  their  flesh  and  the  other  viands  dis- 
tributed among  the  poor,  with  £1,000  in  money, 
in  memory  of  the  deceased,  charity  being  incul- 
cated in  the  Koran  not  less  strongly  than  in  the 
Bible,  and  being  practiced  as  well  as  preached 
among  true  Moslems.  The  grief  of  the  princess 
was  so  violent  and  so  demonstrative  that  the  at- 
tendants were  compelled  to  remove  her  from  the 
bedside  of  the  dying  man  before  he  breathed  his 
last,  and  she  is  reported  as  inconsolable.  The 
Khedive  has  commanded  his  court  to  go  into  mourn- 
ing for  forty  days,  a  custom  which  has  generally 
been  regarded  as  more  western  than  eastern." 

Eoyalty  itself  could  not  have  had  higher  funeral 
honors  than  these,  and  they  are  worthy  of  record 
in  this  vanishing  point  of  Egyptian  history  at  a 
time  when  the  march  of  innovation  is  trampling 
down  most  of  the  time-honored  customs  of  eastern 
or  Mohammedan  usage. 


F — Cairo,  the  seat  of  government  of  Egypt,  is 
located  on  the  Nile,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  from   Alexandria  and  about  the   same  dis- 


APPENDIX.  55 T 

tance  from  Damietta.  The  natives  call  it  3Iisr. 
It  "really  consists  of  three  towns — Old  Cairo,  New 
Cairo  and  Boulac.  Its  po23ulation  is  estimated  at 
about  three  hundred  thousand.  New  Cairo  is  one 
mile  from  the  river  and  is  seven  miles  in  circum- 
ference. There  are  about  four  hundred  mosques  in 
the  city,  the  lofty  minarets  of  which  present  a  most 
picturesque  appearance.  The  improvement  of  Cairo 
under  the  fostering  care  of  Ismail  Pasha  was  some- 
thing absolutely  wonderful.  That  portion  which 
he  added  to  it  is  in  all  respects  a  European  city, 
being  supplied  with  gas,  water  and  every  modern 
luxury.  The  houses  are  built  of  stone,  and  com- 
pare in  elegance  wdth  those' of  Paris,  A  garden 
called  the  Esbekeeyah  has  been  laid  out  after  the 
plan  of  the  Tuileries  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  and 
abounds  in  pebbled  walks,  murmuring  fountains, 
artificial  lakes,  flowing  streams,  ft-agraut  flowers 
and  shade  trees  of  every  variety.  Around  it  is  a 
massive  iron  railing,  with  gates  corresponding  to 
the  principal  thoroughfares,  and  in  its  immediate 
neighborhood  are  tlie  theater^  the  opera  house,  the 
Hippodrome,  the  New  Hotel  and  the  Bourse — all 
constructed  by  Ismail  pro  bono  publico.  There  is  a 
handsome  English  church  near  the  Esbekeeyah, 
several  Jewish  synagogues  in  different  quarters  of 
the  city,  and  a  Catholic  cathedral  on  the  Mouski — 
the  presence  of  which  attest  in  emphatic  terms  the 
liberal  sentiments  of  the  late  Khedive.  Indeed,  in 
no  country  of  the  world  was  there  more  of  relig- 
ious freedom  than  in  Egypt  under  the  regime  of  its 
great  M^cenas. 

The  Abdeen  Palace — the  winter  quarters  of  the 
Khedive — is  situated  in  a  large  plain  in  the  south- 
eastern portion  of  Cairo,  and  though  its  exterior 
does  not  present  a  very  imposing  appearance,  its 


558  APPENDIX. 

interior  is  decorated  in  a  style  of  elegance  which  I 
have  never  seen  surpassed. 

The  Arab  portion  of  the  city  consists  of  endless 
narrow  streets,  running  the  most  tortuous  courses, 
and  in  many  places  completely  arched  over  by  the 
subjacent  houses.  These  houses  are  of  greater  or 
less  pretension,  from  the  mud  hut  of  the  laborer  to 
the  palace  of  the  pasha.  Most  of  them  are  con- 
structed of  the  soft  calcareous  stone  of  the  neigh- 
boring hills,  the  alternate  courses  of  which  are  col- 
ored red  and  white,  with  large  doors  painted  red 
and  bordered  with  white,  over  which  is  an  inscrip- 
tion from  the  Koran  recognizing  the  existcQce  of 
God  and  supplicating  his  protection,  and  with 
windows  of  turned  wooden  lattice-work,  so  con- 
structed as  to  screen  the  inmates  from  observation 
and  at  the  same  time  to  admit  light  and  air.  The 
second  story  is  usually  made  to  project  over  the 
street,  and  is  ornamented  with  a  small  dormer 
window  of  the  same  kind  of  lattice-work,  in  which 
are  placed  porous  bottles  containing  water,  so  that 
they  may  be  exposed  to  a  current  of  air  and  their 
contents  cooled  for  drinking.  They  are  ordinarily 
two  or  three  stories  high  and  inclose  an  open 
court  called  a  hosh,  which  is  entered  by  a  circuitous 
passage,  so  constructed  as  to  prevent  persons  pass- 
ing in  the  street  from  seeing  into  it. 

The  principal  street  of  this  section  of  the  city  is 
known  as  the  llouski,  which  is  somewhat  wider 
than  its  fellows,  and  has  long  rows  of  bazars, 
with  now  and  then  a  foreign  shop^  ranged  along 
its  borders.  Sidewalks  are  unknown  in  this  quar- 
ter, and  men,  women,  children,  camels,  donkeys 
and  vehicles  of  all  descriptions — mingled  in  a  con- 
fused and  struggling  mass — fill  its  entire  area, 
rendering  progress  difficult,  and  placing  life  and 
limb  in  jeopardy. 


APPENDIX.  559 

Running  off  at  right  angles  are  a  number  of 
side  streets — with  large  wooden  gates  at  each  end 
that  are  closed  at  night — leading  to  the  localities 
in  which  various  branches  of  trade  have  selected  as 
their  headquarters.  Thus,  one  leads  to  the  special 
bazars  of  the  carpet  merchants,  another  to  those 
of  the  silversmiths  and  jewelers,  and  another  to 
those  of  the  venders  of  perfumes,  and  so  on  for  the 
whole  list  of  tradesmen.  These  special  markets 
are  presided  over  by  sheiks^  who  keep  order,  decide 
disputes,  and  are  responsible  to  the  buyer  for  the 
purity,  etc.,  of  the  article  sold.  Their  duty,  also, 
is  to  see  that  no  imposition  is  practiced  and  no  ad- 
vantage taken;  but  as  they  do  not  regard  Chris- 
tians as  within  their  jurisdiction,  they  are  ready  at 
all  times  to  unite  with  their  subordinates  in  fleec- 
ing them  to  the  fullest  extent.  Indeed,  the  whole 
crowd  seem  to  think  that  Allah  has  sent  the  for- 
eigner as  a  bird  to  be  picked  and  that  they  but 
serve  their  Lord  and  Master  when  they  go  for  his 
last  feather.  The  Egyptian  merchant  always  be- 
gins by  asking  at  least  four  times  as  much  as  the 
article  is  really  worth,  swearing  "by  the  beard  of 
the  Prophet"  that  he  is  giving  it  away  out  of  pure 
love  for  his  customer  or  for  his  nation,  and  ending 
by  a  Hamdallah  if  he  succeeds  in  selling  it  at  a 
profit  of  one  per  cent.  Certainly,  in  the  art  of 
commercial  lying  they  "beat  the  Jews,"  and  bear 
off  the  palm  of  the  universe.  The  shop  is  usually 
a  square  recess  some  six  feet  in  height  and  four  feet 
in  width,  with  a  bench  before  it  upon  which  goods 
are  displayed — the  bulk  of  them  being  kept  by  the 
tradesmen  in  private  dwellings  or  in  a  public  ive- 
kaleh  or  storehouse ;  but  the  amount  and  the  value 
of  the  stock  stored  aw^ay  in  these  contracted  recep- 
tacles is  something  marvelous. 

The  bazars  of  the  silver  merchants  and  jewelers 


560  APPENDIX. 

are  located  on  a  street  too  narrow  even  for  a  donkej 
to  squeeze  himself  through,  and  requiring  that 
purchasers  shall  pass  in  single  file,  while  the  shops 
are  only  large  enough  to  hold  a  man  in  a  sitting 
posture.  Yet  the  amount  of  trinkets,  plate,  jewels 
and  ornaments  of  all  kinds  for  sale  there  is  some- 
thing that  would  njake  Croesus  himself  open  his 
eyes.  I  have  frequently  seen  some  old  sheik,  who 
looked  the  picture  of  poverty,  and  whose  wardrobe 
would  not  have  commanded  three  sous  in  a  Monte 
de  Piete,  shake  out  of  a  dilapidated  gourd  or  au 
antediluvian  sheep's  horn  or  a  greasy  purse  dia- 
monds enough  to  ornament  a  diadem  or  to  produce 
a  revolution  at  the  Cape. 

■  The  public  drive  of  Cairo  is  known  as  the  ^' Shou- 
bra  road,''  and  it  is,  indeed,  •  a  beautiful  one — 
scarcely  inferior  to  that  which  encircles  the  lake  in 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  Kunning  along  the  bank  of 
the  Nile  in  the  direction  of  the  Sweet  Water  canal, 
embowered  in  fragrant  acacias  and  blooming  mimo- 
sas, environed  by  picturesque  villas,  luxuriant 
gardens  and  grassy  lawns,  and  kept  as  smooth  as 
a  chess-board  or  a  parlor  floor,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  crowds  of  pleasure  seekers  on  horseback  and 
in  glittering  equipages  should  daily  throng  its  shady 
stretches  and  luxuriate  in  its  enchanting  scenes. 
With  this  crude  description  of  Cairo  in  its  physi- 
cal aspect  you  must  be  content,  for  an  attempt  to 
portray  the  condition  of  its  society  would  prove 
only  a  hopeless  and  profitless  task.  There  is  such 
a  commingling  there  of  the  past  and  the  present — 
of  Oriental  prejudice  and  western  advancement, 
of  distinct  and  incongruous  nationalities — in  a 
word,  of  the  heterogeneous,  the  incompatible  and 
the  conflicting — that  in  endeavoring  to  describe  it 
I  should  stumble  at  the  first  step  and  involve  my- 
self inextricably  at  each  succeeding  one. 


APPENDIX.  561 

With  most  persons  Egypt  means  exclusively  the 
Nile,  a  Dihabeeyah — a  steamboat,  but  I  cannot 
imagine  a  more  agreeable  thing  than  a  winter  in 
Cairo,  with  its  balmy  air,  its  cloudless  skies,  its 
modern  comforts,  its  ancient  monuments  and  its 
curious  study  of  the  meeting  of  the  currents  of 
Oriental  and  western  civilization. 


G — The  religion  of  the  Egyptians  proper  is  that 
promulgated  by  Mohammed,  and  it  constitutes  at 
once  the  most  important  branch  of  their  education, 
and  the  foundation  of  their  laws,  manners  and 
customs. 

The  two  grand  principles  oi  El  Islam'  ^xe:  1. 
There  is  no  deity  but  Grod.  2.  Mohammed  is  Grod's 
apostle.  As  regards  the  Deity,  they  hold  that  he 
preserves  all  things,  decrees  all  things,  and  that 
he  is  without  beginning,  eternal,  omnipotent,  omni- 
scient and  omnipresent.  His  unity  is  thus  expressed 
in  the  Koran:  ''He  is  Grod,  one  God — God  the 
eternal.  He  begetteth  not,  nor  is  he  begotten,  and 
there  is  none  equal  unto  him." 

As  regards  Mohammed,  he  is  considered  the  last 
and  greatest  of  prophets  and  apostles.  Six  of  these 
are  believed  to  have  received  a  revelation  of  reli- 
gion and  morality,  viz  :  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham, 
Moses,  Jesus  Christ  and  Mohammed,  each  being 
abrogated  in  turn  by  the  other,  so  that  nothing  re- 
mains in  this  regard  save  that  proclaimed  by  the 
last  and  greatest,  the  religion  of  El  Islam. 

They  believe  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
born  of  a  pure  virgin  by  the  miraculous  interven- 
tion of  God,  and  without  a  natural  father,  and  they 
regard  him  as  a  prophet  and  an  apostle,  but  in  no 
sense  divine.  They  acknowledge  that  he  was  taken 
up  unto  God,  but  they  think  that-  another  person 
36 


562  APPENDIX. 

upon  whom  he  had  stamped  his  image  was  cruci- 
fied in  his  stead,  while  they  believe  that  he  is  to 
come  again  upon  the  earth  to  establish  the  Moslem 
religion,  and  to  promulgate  that  universal  peace 
which  is  to  precede  and  herald  the  advent  of  the- 
last  day. 

They  have  faith  likewise  in  the  existence  of  an- 
gels and  of  good  and  evil  genii,  in  the  immortality 
of  the  soul  and  its  future  reward  and  punishment, 
and  in  the  bridge  Es-Sirah,  which  spans  the  abyss- 
of  hell,  and  is  finer  than  a  hair,  sharper  than  a  sword 
and  over  which  all  must  pass — the  wicked  falling- 
from  it  into  endless  torture,  and  the  righteous  pass- 
ing over  it  to  the  delights  of  heaven. 

The  punishments  of  hell  vary  in  degree,  but  con- 
sist essentially  in  torture  of  excessive  heat  and 
cold,  while  the  rewards  of  heaven  are  made  up  of 
the  indulgence  of  the  appetites  in  the  most  deli- 
cious dishes  and  drinks,  and  in  the  pleasures  af- 
forded by  the  society  of  Houris — with  eyes  like 
those  of  the  gazelle,  and  whose  stature  is  that  of 
a  tall  palm  tree — the  supposed  height  of  Adam  and 
Eve. 

It  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Koran  that  no  one  will 
be  admitted  to  heaven  by  his  own  works,  but  ex- 
clusively by  the  mercy  of  God  on  account  of  his 
faith,  but  that  the  happiness  of  each  person  will 
be  proportionate  to  his  good  deeds.  The  very^ 
meanest  in  paradise  is  promised  eighty  thousand 
beautiful  youths  as  servants,  and  seventyrtwo  wives 
of  the  girls  of  paradise.  Besides,  he  is  to  have  a 
tent  of  pearls,  jacinths  and  emeralds,  and  is  to  be 
waited  on  by  three  hundred  attendants  when  he 
eats,  and  served  in  dishes  of  gold,  three  hundred 
of  which  shall  be  set  before  him  at  once,  each  con- 
taining a  different  kind  of  food,  the  last  morsel 
being  as  grateful  as  the  first.     Wine  also,  though 


APPENDIX.  563 

forbidden  in  this  life,  will  be  freely  allowed  in 
paradise,  and  without  danger,  since  the  wine  of 
heaven  caonot  inebriate.  They  are  also  promised 
perpetual  youth  and  as  many  children  as  they  may 
desire. 

They  believe  also  that  God  controls  and  directs 
every  event  in  life,  and  they  are  consequently  thor- 
ough fatalists.  The  most  important  duties  enjoined 
by  their  ritual  are  prayer,  almsgiving,  fasting  and 
pilgrimage. 

The  Muslim  prays  five  times  daily,  viz:  at  sun- 
set, at  nightfall,  just  after  daybreak,  just  after 
noon  and  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  At  these 
times  a  3Iuecldin  ascends  to  the  minaret  of  every 
mosque,  and  calls  the  faithful  to  their  devotions 
in  a  loud  and  measured  cadence  or  chant,  which 
runs  in  this  wise:  "God  is  most  great!  I  bear 
witness  that  there  is  no  Deity  but  God  !  I  testify 
that  Mohammed  is  God's  apostle !  Come  to  prayer ! 
Come  to  peace !  God  is  most  great !  There  is  no 
God  but  God!"  It  is  a  curious  circumstance  that 
only  blind  men  are  selected  for  this  office,  the 
object  being  to  save  the  adjacent  housetops  and 
hareems  from  observation. 

The  next  most  important  duty  is  almsgiving. 
Certain  alms  are  prescribed  by  law,  and  others  are 
purely  voluntary.  The  former  are  obligatory  and 
are  given  once  in  every  year,  in  proportion  to  the 
wealth  of  the  donor,  as  established  by  statute. 

The  next  in  order  of  importance  h  fasting.  The 
Muslim  is  commanded  to  fast  daily  during  the  en- 
tire month  of  Puimadan — the  month  in  which  the 
Prophet  received  his  first  revelations.  He  must 
let  nothing  pass  his  lips  and  abstain  from  every 
indulgence  from  daybreak  until  sunset.  I  found 
this  to  be  a  period  of  great  demoralization  in 
Egypt,  inasmuch  as  the  abstinence  of  the  day  was 


564  APPENDIX. 

usually    followed    by   a   corresponding   excess    at 
night. 

The  last  of  the  four  most  important  duties  is 
that  of  pilgrimage.  Every  Muslim  is  under  an  obli- 
gation to  perform  once  during  his  lifetime  a  pilgrim- 
-age  to  Mecca,  unless  prevented  by  poverty  or  ill 
health. 

Under  certain  circumstances,  however,  he  can 
s^end  a  deputy,  whose  expenses  he  has  to  pay,  and 
the  substitute's  business  is  as  active  in  Cairo  yearly 
as  it  was  in  America  during  the  recent  unpleasant- 
ness. After  having  made  this  journey  he  is  called 
a  hadji,  and  is  invested  with  peculiar  sanctity  and 
consequence.  It  is  necessary  that  the  pilgrim  shall 
be  present  on  the  occasion  of  a  Kheetab_,  which  is 
recited  on  Mount  Arafat  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
month  of  Zu-l-Heggeli. 

There  is  no  regular  priesthood  in  the  Moham- 
medan religion — no  class  of  men  who  set  them- 
selves apart  as  special  ministers  of  the  rites  and 
ceremonies  of  El  Islam.  Over  each  of  the  mosques 
of  Cairo  a  nazir  or  warden  presides,  who  attends 
to  its  material  interests  and  who  appoints  two 
imams  to  conduct  the  worship,  and  one  or  more 
7}iueddens  to  chant  the  call  to  prayers.  These  of- 
ficers have,  however,  no  ministerial  authority ; 
they  obtain  their  living  chiefly  by  other  means 
than  their  services  in  the  mosques  ;  they  may  be 
displaced  at  any  time — when  they  lose  the  title  of 
imam ;  they  enjoy  no  respect  beyond  that  which 
the  sanctity  of  their  lives  secures  for  them,  and 
they  do  not  in  any  sense  constitute  a  distinct  order 
having  special  privileges  and  prerogatives,  such  as 
appertain  to  a  regular  hierarchy. 

The  Koran  holds  out  the  prize  of  eternal  life  to 
all  true  believers,  and  yet  from  the  fact  that  the 
rewards  promised  to  the  faithful  appeal  exclusively 


APPENDIX.  565 

to  masculine  passions  and  aspirations,  and  the. ad- 
ditional circumstance  that  among  3Ioslems  women 
occupy  a  position  of  decided  inferiority,  it  results 
that  females  are  virtually  excluded  from  the  Mo- 
hammedan plan  of  salvation.  Lane  uses  the  follow- 
ing language  in  regard  to  this  subject:  "The 
Prophet  did  not  forbid  women  to  attend  public 
prayers  in  mosques,  but  pronounced  it  better  for 
them  to  pray  in  private.  In  Cairo,  however,  nei- 
ther females  nor  young  boys  are  allowed  to  pray  in 
the  congregation  or  even  to  be  present  in  the 
mosque  in  time  of  prayer. 

Formerly  women  were  permitted  to  enter  the 
mosques,  but  were  obliged  to  place  themselves  apart 
from  and  behind  the  men,  because,  as  Sale  has  re- 
marked, "the  Muslims  are  of  opinion  that  the 
presence  of  females  induces  a  different  kind  of  de- 
votion from  that  which  is  requisite  in  a  place  dedi- 
cated to  the  worship  of  Grod.  Very  few  women  in 
Egypt  ever  pray  at  home." 

I  should  have  mentioned  in  speaking  of  the 
Ramadan  that  this  fast  is  followed  by  a  feast  called 
the  Bairam^  which  lasts  three  days,  and  is  a  period 
of  great  rejoicing  and  merry-making.  It  bears 
the  same  relation  to  the  Ramadan  that  Easter  does 
to  the  Lent  of  the  Christians.  Every  Mussulman 
— from  the  poorest  to  the  richest — dresses  himself 
in  his  best  clothes,  and  makes  a  round  of  visits, 
embracing  his  friends  as  he  meets  them  in  the 
streets,  and  wishing  them,  happiness  and  "  many 
returns  of  the  season."  Ladies  of  rank,  however, 
do  not  make  their  calls  until  eight  days  after  the 
termination  of  the  festival — that  being  one  of  the 
fashions  of  the  east. 

Native  bands  parade  th^e  streets  discoursing  their 
peculiar  music  and  serenading  every  house  from 
whose  occupants  they  are  likely  to  receive  a  dona- 


566  APPENDIX. 

tiorij  while  the  poor  come  around  offering  oranges 
and  sweetmeats,  and  soliciting  alms,  which  it  is  a 
point  of  religion  to  give  abundantly.  On  the  first 
day  of  this  festival  the  Khedive,  accompanied  by 
his  ministers,  goes  in  great  state  to  some  mosque_, 
says  his  prayers  and  then  returns  to  the  Abdeen 
palace  or  the  Casserel  Nil,  where  he  holds  a  grand 
reception,  at  which  it  is  required  that  all  holding 
official  positions  shall  be  present. 

The  American  officers  were  given  a  prominent 
position  in  the  line  formed  of  those  who  were  pres- 
ent on  this  and  similar  occasions,  and  were  required 
to  give  his  highness  ^'  the  military  salute"  as  they 
passed  him. 

My  old  friend.  General  Reynolds,  being  senior 
in  age,  was  always  placed  at  the  head  of  this  line 
— I  mean  our  portion  of  it — and  he  never  failed  to 
make  a  speech  to  the  Khedive,  complimenting 
him  on  the  success  of  his  government,  and  assur- 
ing him  of  the  devotion  of  his  American  officers, 
and,  though  his  highness  understood  not  a  word  of 
these  harangues,  as  they  were  in  English,  he  al- 
ways smiled  good  naturedly,  and  seemed  to  disre- 
gard the  breach  of  etiquette.  The  G-eneral's  file 
leader  was  invariably  an  aged  negro  pasha  as 
black  as  the  ace  of  spades,  and  as  odoriferous  as  a 
hibernating  skunk,  and  as  "Old  Oawley''  was  a 
Southerner  of  the  most  pronounced  sentiments,  and 
regarded  the  maintenance  of  the  "color  line"  as 
obligatory  as  the  edicts  of  the  ten  commandments, 
these  presentations  were  far  less  agreeable  to  him 
than  to  the  rest  of  us.  A  number  of  the  officers 
in  the  Khedive's  army  were  black,  and  when  we 
gave  our  New  Year's  reception,  as  we  did  annually, 
nearly  one-fourth  of  the  callers  were  of  that  com- 
plexion, but  we  were  not  disturbed  by  it  in  the 
least,  as  in  casting  our  lots  in  Egypt  we  had   left 


I 


APPENDIX.  56T 

•our  prejudices  behind  us,  and  they  were  about  the 
most  intelligent  and  reliable  men  that  we  encount- 
ered. Circumstances  not  only  alter  cases  in  this 
world,  but  give  us  sometimes  strange  bed-fellows, 
and  it  is  the  truest  wisdom  to  submit  unmurmur- 
ingly  to  the  inevitable  in  this  respect  as  in  all 
others. 

At  the  KourhoM  Bairam,  which  came  some 
weeks  afterward^  every  Egyptian  who  is  able  pur- 
chases a  sheep  for  himself  and  his  wife,  and  then 
.slaughtering  them  with  great  ceremony  and  in  the 
name  of  the  Prophet,  retains  such  portions  as  he 
requires  for  his  own  use,  and  gives  the  remainder  to 
the  poor  of  his  neighborhood.  Each  man  sacri- 
fices in  this  way  according  to  his  means,  for  him- 
self and  for  his  hungry  neighbors,  believing  that  he  is 
thereby  serving  the  Lord  and  securing  a  better 
place  for  himself  in  paradise. 

The  popular  idea  is  that  a  sheep  thus  killed  in 
the  year  of  one's  death  serves  as  a  steed  upon 
which  to  cross  the  bridge  of  Sirat — that  structure 
which  spans  the  abyss  of  hell  and  conducts  to  the 
bliss  of  heaven. 

As  a  general  rule,  children  are  taught  from  their 
earliest  years  to  consider  Christians  as  their  natural 
enemies,  and  to  regard  themselves  as  infinitely 
superior  to  them.  The  moslem  esteems  the  disci- 
ples of  every  faith  but  his  own  as  the  children  of 
perdition,  and  he  despises  them  accordingly.  The 
precepts  of  his  religion  make  him  absolutely  intol- 
erant, causing  him  to  despise  the  professions  of 
others,  and  to  deny  the  possibility  of  their  salva- 
tion. In  his  estimation  he  is  the  elect  of  heaven, 
and  Christians  and  Jews  are  the  inheritors  of  hell 
— utterly  lost,  and  irretrievably  doomed  already. 
His  feelings  are  not  those  of  pitj^  and  regret,  but 
rather  of  exaltation  and  satisfaction.      He  does  not 


568  APPENDIX. 

think  that  lie  is  called  upon  to  make  war  upon 
them  in  this  period  of  the  world's  history,  but  he 
feels  relieved  from  all  moral  obligation  to  them — 
at  liberty  to  deceive  them,  to  keep  no  faith  with 
them  and  to  swindle  them  to  the  fullest  extent  of 
his  ability.  All  this  the  Egyptians  are  taught  by 
their  relio:ion — it  is  what  thev  conceive  to  be  their 
duty — and  yet  they  are  so  docile  and  amiable  by 
nature  that  under  the  influence  of  a  sense  of  per- 
sonal obligation  and  in  return  for  favors  done 
them,  they  are  capable  of  displaying  much  good- 
ness of  heart.  Thus,  while  they  called  Christians 
generally  "the  sons  of  dogs,"  they  showed  me 
and  my  family  the  greatest  kindness.  Though 
professing  to  look  upon  the  Giaours  collectively  as 
natural  enemies  and  inferiors,  they  treated  us  in- 
dividually with  the  most  friendly  consideration. 
The  Moslems^  hatred  of  Jews  is  something  phenome- 
nal. Had  they  slain  Mohammed  instead  of  Jesus 
Christ  they  could  not  be  regarded  with  more  ran- 
cour and  aversion.  They  are  classed  with  dogs, 
and  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  list — esteemed 
more  unclean  and  less  deserving  of  consideration. 
Where  this  extremity  of  prejudice  and  hatred — this 
feeling  of  personal  injury  and  viudictiveness — ori- 
ginated, it  is  impossible  to  determine,  and  yet  the 
heart  of  the  average  Mussulman  is  as  full  of  it  as 
of  love  and  respect  for  his  own  religion. 

Some  few  years  since  the  United  States  Grovern- 
ment  tried  the  seemingly  doubtful  experiment  of 
sending  a  Hebrew  to  Egypt  as  its  official  repre- 
sentative. Those  who  were  best  acquainted  with 
the  country — or  who  thought  they  were — held  up 
their  hands  in  horror,  and  declared  that  the  most 
fatal  of  errors  had  been  committed  ;  that  the  au- 
thorities at  Washington  had  made  a  radical  mis- 
take.    The  sequel  proved  it  to  be  a  measure  of  su- 


APPENDIX.  569 

preme  wisdoai.  The  consul-general,  the  Hon.  S. 
Wolf,  by  his  high  personal  character,  his  facility 
of  adapting  himself  to  men  and  circumstances,  his 
extreme  urbanity  and  his  superlative  tact,  not  only 
won  the  respect  and  affection  of  the  Khedive  and 
his  ministers,  but  produced  an  impression  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Egyptians  which  did  more  to  elevate 
the  standing  of  his  country,  and  to  eradicate  the 
insane  prejudice  against  his  race,  than  could  have 
been  accomplished  by  a  hundred  years  of  ordinary 
diplomacy,  and  the  effort  of  a  thousand  moral 
teachers.  It  placed  the  seal  of  a  great  nation's 
indorsement  upon  a  despised  race;  it  swept  away 
to  a  great  extent  the  prejudices  which  had  so  long 
been  the  curse  and  the  outrage  of  Israel ;  it  fur- 
nished an  occasion  for  the  demonstration  of  the  fact 
that  a  Jew  could  be  a  thorough  gentleman,  an  ac- 
complished diplomat  and  an  enlightened  humani- 
tarian, and  it  struck  a  blow  at  religious  fanaticism 
and  social  ostracism  which  carried  with  it  a  lesson 
of  such  practical  wisdom  as  at  once  astonished 
Egypt  and  delighted  the  champions  of  human  pro- 
gress everywhere. 

While  adhering  tenaciously  to  the  Christian 
faith,  I  am  not  the  less  a  champion  of  perfect  in- 
tellectual and  moral  enfranchisement,  and  I  hope 
to  see  the  day  when  every  man  shall  think  and 
shall  worship  according  to  his  convictions — un- 
trammeled  by  prejudice,  unawed  by  prerogative, 
and  uninfluenced  by  aught  save  the  suggestions  of 
his  own  conscience. 


H — The  Copts  compose  less  than  one-fourteenth 
of  the  present  population  of  Egpt,  their  number 
being  near  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.     They 


570  APPENDIX. 

have    gradually  decreased  in   numbers  "because  of 
tlieir  conversion  to  Mohammedanism. 

About  ten  thousand  reside  in  Cairo,  the  re- 
mainder being  distributed  throughout  the  country, 
especially  in  the  Feiyoom  district.  They  are  the 
descendants  of  ancient  Egyptians,  but  are  not  an 
unmixed  race,  their  ancestors  having  intermarried 
in  the  earlier  ages  with  Greeks,  Nubians,  Abys- 
sinians,  and  other  foreigners.  They  differ  so  little 
in  personal  appearance  from  their  Moslem  country- 
men as  scarcely  to  be  distinguishable.  Both  males 
and  females  wear  the  Arab  dress,  the  former  as- 
suming a  black  or  blue  turban  to  denote  their  sect. 
The  women  vail  their  faces,  not  only  in  public  but 
in  private,  when  men  are  present,  unless  they  are 
relatives,  and  within  certain  limits  of  consanguinity. 

Though  Christians,  they  are  much  more  hostile 
to  other  Christian  sects  than  to  the  Moslems. 
They  regard  St.  Mark  as  the  founder  of  their 
church,  and  they  consider  their  patriarchs  as  his 
successors.  Their  religious  orders  consist  of  a 
patriarch,  a  metropolitan  of  the  Abyssinians, 
bishops,  archpriests,  priests,  deacons  and  monks. 
Their  patriarch  resides  in  Cairo,  but  is  styled 
the  patriarch  of  Alexandria,  and  is  regarded  as 
filling  the  chair  of  St.  Mark.  He  is  required  to 
remain  unmarried  ;  to  wear  woolen  garments  next 
to  his  skin,  and  to  sleep  only  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  a  time — ^.  e.^  to  submit  to  be  awakened 
every  fifteen  minutes,  so  that  he  may  constantly 
watch  over  the  interests  confided  to  him.  He  may 
be  selected  by  his  predecessor  in  office,  but,  as  a 
general  rule,  he  is  chosen  by  lot,  the  members  of 
the  order  of  Monks  alone  being  eligible. 

In  former  years  they  were  despised  by  their  Mos- 
lem neighbors — were  looked  down  upon  as  being 
inferior  and  unclean — and  were  neither  allowed  to 


APPENDIX.  571 

ride  horses  in  the  public  streets  nor  to  hold  prop- 
erty to  any  considerable  amount,  but,  since  the  days 
of  Mehemet  Ali,  the  prejudice  against  them  has 
disappeared,  and  some  of  them  have  even  been 
created  beys.  They  are  employed  liberally  in  the 
public  service  as  clerks,  but  are  not  permitted  to 
perform  military  duty,  a  restriction  for  which  they 
are  doubtless  very  grateful. 

Some  of  the  best  dragomen  in  Egypt  are  of  this 
class,  and  they  have  the  reputation  not  only  of  be- 
ing very  intelligent,  but  of  possessing  in  a  special 
degree  the  traits  of  honesty  and  fidelity.  One  of 
them — a  certain  haslii — I  knew  well,  and  should 
he  survive,  I  would  cordially  recommend  him  to 
such  of  my  countrymen  as  may  undertake  a  "  Nile 
voyage  "  when  peace  and  security  are  re-estab- 
lished in  Egypt.  I  have  often  thought  of  the 
crowd  of  anxious  dragomen,  who,  in  the  flush 
time  of  Dihabeeyahs  and  Ismail  Pasha  glory  in- 
fested Shepard's  and  the  New  Hotel,  on  the  watch 
for  cataract-bound  travelers  with  plethoric  purses 
and  a  superabundant  leisure.  Poor  fellows ! 
Between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones  of  Eng- 
land's ambition  and  vacillation,  I  fear  they  have 
had  a  hard  time  in  these  latter  years,  and  that 
most  of  them  have  gone  to  their  rest  beneath  the 
desert  sands,  with  an  empty  pocket  and  a  broken 
heart  as  their  only  recompense. 

They  were  truly  remarkable  men,  representa- 
tives of  generations  of  interpreters,  speaking  in- 
tuitively every  modern  language,  possessing  a 
faculty  of  adaptation  to  men  and  to  circumstances 
which  was  something  phenomenal,  and  having  a 
knowledge  of  the  country,  its  history,  its  ruins, 
and  its  monuments,  which  would  have  caused 
many   a   learned   Egyptologist   to   blush    for    his 


572  APPENDIX. 

ignorance.     When  shall  we  see  their  like  again  ? 
certainly  not  for  centuries  ! 


I — Wailing  is  a  peculiar  custom  among  the 
Arabs.  When  it  is  evident  that  death  is  about  to 
occur  the  women  present  turn  the  body  so  that  the 
face  looks  in  the  direction  of  .Mecca,  and  then 
utter  a  peculiar  cry,  differing  according  to  relation- 
ship of  the  deceased,  and  setting  forth  the  virtues 
of  the  lost  one.  This  is  known  as  a  loailing,  or  more 
properly  ivihoan.  There  is  also  a  class  of  women 
called  nebdabehs,  who  are  employed  to  assist  the 
women  of  the  family  in  this  pious  demonstration. 
Each  one  brings  with  her  a  tar — a  kind  of  tam- 
bourine, but  without  tinkling  plates  of  metal — 
which  she  beats  violently,  exclaiming  between  her 
wails,  ^'  Alas  for  him  !  Alas  for  him  !"  in  a  pecu- 
liar melancholy  cadence.  If  the  death  occur  in 
the  morning,  the  body  is  always  buried  before  the 
setting  of  the  sun,  but  if  in  the  afternoon  or  even- 
ing the  corpse  is  kept  until  the  next  morning — the 
women  remaining  by  the  side  of  it,  wailing  or 
listening  to  the  recital  of  passages  from  the  Koran 
from  some  Jikee,  schoolmaster.  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  wailing  of  women  at  funerals  was  for- 
bidden by  the  prophet,  who  declared  that  the  vir- 
tues thus  publicly  ascribed  to  a  dead  person  would 
be  subjects  of  reproach  to  him  in  the  future  state  if 
he  did  not  really  possess  them. 

The  soul  is  supposed  to  remain  in  the  body  dur- 
ing the  first  night  after  burial  and  then  to  depart 
to  the  place  appointed  for  the  residence  of  disem- 
bodied spirits  until  they  are  either  taken  into 
paradise  or  cast  into  hell. 

They  divide  the  souls  of  the  faithful  into  three 
classes,  viz  :  those  of  prophets,  of  martyrs  and  of 


APPENDIX.  5*73 

other  believers.  The  souls  of  prophets  are  imme- 
diateiy  admitted  into  paradise  ;  those  of  raartyrs 
enter  into  the  bodies  of  green  birds,  which  eat  of 
the  fruits  and  drink  of  the  waters  of  paradise — 
martyrs  being  those  who  have  been  killed  in  the 
defense  of  the  faith  or  who  have  innocently  met 
with  death  at  the  hands  of  another,  or  who  have 
died  of  an  epidemic  or  who  have  succumbed  to 
"dysentery,  or  who  have  been  killed  by  the  falling  of 
a  building  or  who  have  been  drowned,  while  the 
souls  of  the  faithful  generally  are  permitted  either 
to  remain  near  their  sepulchers,  with  liberty  to  go 
where  they  please,  or  to  live  with  Adam  in  the  lowest 
heaven  or  to  rest  in  the  trumpet  which  is  to  be 
blown  on  the  last  day  to  awaken  the  dead. 

As  to  the  condition  of  the  souls  of  the  wicked, 
there  are  various  opinions.  Some  suppose  that, 
-after  having  been  rejected  by  the  angels  of  heaven, 
they  are  carried  down  to  the  seventh  earth  and 
thrown  into  a  dungeon  ;  others,  that  they  are 
placed  under  the  devil's  jaw,  there  to  be  tormented 
until  they  are  called  up  to  be  joined  again  to  their 
bodies,  while  another  school  contends  that  they  are 
hid  away  in  a  wall  of  Barahoot,  in  the  province  of 
Hadramah,  until  the  dawn  of  the  day  of  judgment. 


J — The  term  hareem,  as  I  have  already  men- 
tioned, is  applied  both  to  the  females  of  a  family 
-and  to  the  apartment  in  which  they  live.  A  fam- 
ily usually  consists  of  a  wife  or  wives,  concubines, 
female  slaves  and  eunuchs.  The  law  allows,  four 
wives  to  every  Mussulman,  but  for  the  sake  of  domes- 
tic peace  and  as  a  matter  of  economy  the  Egyptians 
usually  content  themselves  with  but  one.  Ismail 
Pasha,  although  himself  the  possessor  of  four,  re- 
stricted his  sons  to  one,  and   advised  his  officers  to 


574  APPENDIX. 

the  same  limitation.  Feminine  nature  is  not  ma- 
terially influenced  by  locality  or  creed,  and  jeal- 
ousy flourishes  as  rankly  in  Muslim  lands  as  in  the 
rest  of  the  world.  The  Egyptians  here  learned  by 
many  sad  experiences,  in  which  the  bitterest  heart- 
burnings and  an  occasional  ''cup  of  coflee"  have 
played  conspicuous  7vles,  that  it  is  w4ser  to  disre- 
gard the  permission  given  by  the  Prophet  in  re- 
gard to  a  multiplicity  of  wives.  When  more  than 
one  wife  is  taken  it  is  the  older  who  has  to  go  to- 
the  wall,  for  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  new  comer 
the  mantle  of  authority  falls  as  a  matter  of  law  and 
precedent. 

Female  slaves  are  of  two  kinds,  viz:  those  who. 
can  be  legitimately  taken  as  concubines,  and  those 
who  cannot  be  so  appropriated.  The  former  are 
either  Turks^  Georgians,  Circassians  or  Abyssians. 
Concubinage,  under  the  limits  prescribed  by  cus- 
tom and  law,  is  as  legitimate  and  respectable  a  re- 
lation as  matrimony,  and  it  is  of  more  frequent 
occurrence  than  a  second  marriage,  for  the  reason 
that  it  is  less  objectionable  to  the  wife,  and  far  more 
economical  to  the  husband. 

No  such  slave  can  be  sold  during  the  period  of 
gestation  or  afterward,  if  she  has  borne  a  male 
child.  It  not  uufrequently  happens,  however,  that 
concubines  disappear  mysteriously,  jealous  wives 
finding  the  means  to  remove  them,  while  no  ques- 
tions are  asked  and  no  punishments  are  inflicted 
unless  the  husband  chooses  to  intervene.  The 
doors  of  hareems  are  closed  as  eflectually  against 
the  law  as  against  the  worlds  in  general,  and  the 
power  of  life  and  death  as  to  slaves  is  as  absolute 
with  their  owners  as  is  the  prerogatives  of  th^ 
Khedive  with  his  subjects. 

To  give  you  an  idea  of  how  lightly  the  life  of  a 
slave  is  held,  and  what  little  responsibility  attaches 


APPENDIX.  575 

to  tlieir  owners,  I  will  relate  a  story  which  is  told 
of  the  Princess  Nesle  Hannoun  :  One  day,  when  a 
female  slave  w^as  pouring  water  over  her  husband's 
hands  preliminary  to  his  repast,  he  said  to  her: 
"  Enough,  my  lamb."  This  was  reported  to  his 
wife,  and  it  filled  her  with  ungovernable  fury. 
Forthwith  she  ordered  the  girl  to  be  killed,  and 
then  had  her  head  stuffed  with  herbs,  cooked  in  an 
oven  and  placed  in  a  large  dish  covered  with  rice. 
When  the  defterdar  came  to  his  dinner  his  wife 
had  the  strange-looking  dish  placed  before  him, 
and  then  said  to  him  :  ''  My  dear,  help  yourself  to 
a  piece  of  your  lamb,"  when  to  his  horror  he  dis- 
covered that  it  was  the  head  of  the  poor  girl  ta 
whom  he  had  made  the  idle  remark  on  the  pre- 
vious day. 

.  In  his  disgust  he  threw  his  napkin  down,  left 
the  table  and  jlid  not  enter  the  house  for  a  year  ; 
for,  though  the  most  cruel  man  in  Egypt,  this 
barbarous  act  was  more  than  even  he  could  bear. 
It  is  said  that  no  notice  was  taken  of  it  by  the  authori- 
ties, and  it  is  doubtful  if  they  ever  knew  of  it. 

In  another  instance  it  is  related  that  a  black  eu- 
nuch became  enamored  of  a  Circassian  slave  of  rare 
beauty  belonging  to  the  hareem  of  a  high  person- 
age, and  of  whom  the  master  was  very  fond.  As 
she  naturally  rejected  the  advances  of  the  black 
wretch,  he  became  enraged,  and  determined  to 
have  his  revenge.  One  night  he  placed  near  the 
door  of  her  room  a  soldier's  overcoat,  as  if  it  had 
been  forgotten  by  its  owner.  When  the  Pasha  en- 
tered the  hareem,  preceded  by  two  eunuchs  with 
torches,  one  of  the  first  things  that  attracted  his 
attention  was  this  masculine  garment,  and  his  sus- 
picions w^ere  immediately  excited.  "What  is  this  ?" 
he  demanded .  "  My  master,"  answered  the  schem- 
ing emasculation,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  but  it  is 


576  APPENDIX. 

the  coat  of  a  man,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  the 
lover  of  the  Circassian,  because  it  is  not  the  first 
suspicious  thing  that  I  have  seen  about  her  apart- 
ment." 

The  Pasha,  wild  with  jealousy,  knocked  loudly 
at  the  door  of  the  unfortunate  girl's  room,  and 
when  she  opened  it,  stabbed  her  to  the  heart  with- 
out asking  a  question  or  excusing  himself  to  any 
one. 

The  girl's  bod}^  was  placed  in  a  sack  and  thrown 
that  night  into  the  Nile,  while  the  master  consoled 
himself  with  a  new  favorite,  and  nothing  was  ever 
said  about  the  matter. 

The  Mohammedan  law  distinctly  asserts  the  right 
of  a  master  to  kill  his  slave  for  any  offense,  while 
it  only  prescribes  a  brief  imprisonment  if  he  does 
so  wantonly. 

The  number  of  concubines  allowed  by  the  Koran 
is  not*  limited.  Each  Moslem  is  permitted  to  take 
as  many  as  he  can  maintain,  and  he  is  virtually 
made  the  judge  in  the  matter.  The  hareem  of 
the  Khedive  is  replenished  annually  by  the  im- 
portation of  Circassians,  a  woman  being  specially 
designated  for  the  task  of  making  the  selections. 
As  there  is  only  room  for  a  certain  number,  places 
are  made  for  the  new  relay  by  giving  the  old  ones 
in  marriage  to  the  young  effendis  and  beys,  and 
as  a  considerable  dot  is  always  thrown  in  as  an  in- 
ducement, the  refuse  of  the  Khedive's  hareem  is  in 
great  demand  in  Cairo. 

The  slaves  proper  of  the  hareem  are  usually  Nu- 
bians or  Soudanese,  and  it  is  not  lawful  to  take 
them  as  concubines  or  as  wives.  They  are  re- 
garded as  being  of  a  lower  cast,  and  are  exclu- 
sively devoted  to  menial  services. 

It  is  appropriate  to  say  in  this  connection  that 
slavery  at  present  only  exists  in  the  form  of  domes- 


APPENDIX.  577 

tic  servitude,  and  that  any  slave  has  a  right  to 
his  or  her  freedom  by  simply  going  into  the  streets 
and  proclairiiing  it. 
'  Of  eunuchs  I  have  already  spoken  at  length,  and 
I  will  only  add  that  they  are  habitually  cruel,  mer- 
cenary and  unscrupulous.  They  rule  the  women 
under  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  seemingly  having 
no  human  sympathies,  and  yet,  as  a  general  rule, 
they  can  be  bought  by  the  highest  bidder.  Indeed, 
their  love  of  money  is  something  phenomenal,  and 
their  delight  is  to  invest  it  in  watch  chains,  rings, 
scarf-pins  and  every  variety  of  jewelry. 

They  grow  old  rapidly,  becoming  either  exces 
sively  corpulent  or  extraordinarily  thin — either 
David  Lamberts  or  Dr.  Tanners.  They  are  treated 
with  infinite  respect,  and  they  have  unlimited  au- 
thority in  the  households  over  which  they  pre- 
side. 

Women  do  not  vail  themselves  when  at  home, 
but  invariably  do  so  in  public — with  the  exception 
of  those  of  the  lowest  orders.  So  sacred  is  the  face 
of  a  woman  that  if  it  be  seen  by  a  man — with  the 
-exception  of  relatives  and  such  as  are  prevented 
from  marrying — she  is  regarded  as  having  been 
polluted,  and  his  life  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  hus- 
band. The  upper  and  back  part  of  the  head  are 
^Iso  covered  with  special  care,  and  many  women 
prefer  to  expose  their  faces  rather  than  to  have  them 
gazed  upon  by  the  opposite  sex.  As  regards  the 
rest  of  their  person  they  are  strangely  indifferent, 
and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  meet  with 
women  in  the  country  around  Cairo,  and  in  the' 
strictly  native  quarters  of  the  city  itself,  with  no 
other  covering  to  their  bodies  than  an  old  rag- tied 
carelessly  around  their  hips. 

Whenever  I  entered  a  house  professionally,  I  was 
received  by  the  eunuch,  who  walked  in  advance  of 
37 


578  APPENDIX. 

me,  calling  out  '^  Destoor."  ^^  Ya  Sator" — warn- 
ings to  the  women  to  vail  or  conceal  themselves — 
and  I  was  never  permitted  to  see  a  female  patient 
in  a  reclining  posture.  She  was  always  compelled 
to  sit  up  and  was  covered  with  the  eternal  haharrah, 
whatever  her  condition  might  he  or  however  pro- 
tracted my  visit.  Under  no  circumstances  is  a  male 
physician  permitted  to  an  accouchement,  and  I  have 
no  douht  that  many  lives  are  consequently  sacrificed 
to  the  perils  of  child-hearing,  as  their  midwivesare 
the  most  ignorant  and  superstitious  in  existence. 
To  such  -an  absurd  extent  is  this  idea  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  women  carried,  that  entrance  into  the  tombs 
of  females  is  denied  to  the  other  sex,  as,  for  instance, 
those  of  the  Prophet's  wives  and  female  relatives 
in  the  burial  ground  of  El- Medeeneh. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  divorces  known  in  Egypt, 
viz:  the  partial  ciud  the  comjdete.  By  i)ronounc- 
ing  the  words  :  '^  I  divorce  you,"  once  or  twice  the 
marriage  tie  is  severed,  hut  the  discarded  wife  can 
be  taken  back  without  another  ceremony  during  the 
period  of  her  eddeh — the  time  stipulated  by  the 
Koran  during  which  she  must  wait  before  again 
contracting  marriage — even  if  she  has  demanded 
her  dowry  and  taken  her  children  away  with  her. 
Such  a  separation  as  this  is  called  a  "partial  divorce' ' 
or  a  "divorce  in  the  first  degree."  When,  how- 
ever, the  species  of  divorce  has  been  indulged  in 
thrice  or  when  the  words  of  doom  have  been  re- 
peated three  times  in  succession,  the  discarded  wife 
cannot  be  reinstated  in  her  marital  rights  until  her 
eddeh  is  completed^  another  man  has  married  and 
divorced  her,  and  a  new  ceremony  has  been  per- 
formed. 

In  a  preceding  letter  I  mentioned  the  means  which 
are  employed  to  bring  repenting  husbands  and 
wives  together,  and  it  is  unnecessary  again  to  refer 


APPENDIX.  579 

to  them  further  than  to  say  that  even  mustahalls 
sometimes  fall  victims  to  love's  enchantment,  and 
refuse  to  surrender  the  wives  which  they  have  thus 
acquired.  As  it  is  next  to  an  impossibility  for  a 
woman  to  procure  a  divorce — the  laws  being  all 
made  in  favor  of  the  men — the  poor  creature  who 
has  been  thus  appropriated  has  no  redress,  and 
nothing  remains  to  her  but  to  submit  to  her  destiny. 
I  should  not  however  fancy  the  shoes  of  the  afore- 
said mustahall  from  what  I  know  of  the  sharpness 
of  women's  tongue  in  general  and  of  those  of  Egypt 
in  particular.  Pandemonium  itself  must  be  an 
elysium  compared  with  a  menage  constructed  out  of 
such  elements  as  these — a  fortuitous  husband  and 
an  outraged  wife — and  all  that  can  be  conceived  of 
the  disagreeable  but  the  mildest  dilution  of  misery 
contrasted  with  the  doubly  distilled  extract  of  the 
infernal  which  such  relations  as  these  must  serve 
to  develop  and  perpetuate.  For  myself,  I  had  rather 
seek  peace  and  happiness  in  a  den  of  vipers  or  a 
kennel  of  mad  dogs  than  in  the  embraces  of  a 
woman  thus  entrapped  and  baffled.  But  de  gusti- 
hus  non  applies  equally  to  a  mustahall  as  to  the  rest 
of  the  race,  and  it  is  not  for  me  to  comment  upon 
the  consequence  of  his  bold  venture  for  happiness 
and  a  hareem. 

A  Mussulman  never  takes  his  meals  with  his 
family,  nor  appears  with  them  in  public,  and  he 
esteems  it  an  insult  for  any  allusion  to  be  made  to 
them — even  if  it  be  a  commonplace  inquiry  respect- 
ing their  health. 

One  would  suppose  that  hareem  life — with  its 
monotony,  its  seclusion,  its  purely  sensual  pleasures, 
and  its  subordination  exclusively  to  the  will  -of  its 
master,  possessed  few  attractions,  and  yet  strange  as 
it  may  appear,  the  daughters  of  the  late  Khedive 
and  other  Egyptian  ladies  who  have  received  liberal 


580  APPENDIX. 

educations,  and  given  an  opportunity  to  contrast 
it  with  what  we  regard  as  a  superior  existence,  have 
eagerly  returned  to  it  so  soon  as  an  occasion  pre- 
sented itself.  For  them  the  perpetual  eating  of 
sweetmeats,  drinking  of  coffee,  rehearsal  of  the 
traditions  of  El-Raschid,  and  the  artistic  adornment 
of  their  persons  with  henna  and  holdy  have  more 
attractions  than  the  charms  of  society,  the  pleasures 
of  literary  pursuits,  the  display  of  personal  charms, 
the  worshi})  of  fashion  and  the  multitudinous  inci- 
dents which  constitute  the  sum  and  substance  of  a 
life  of  civilization. 

Possibly  it  is  the  force  of  early  prejudice,  the  rail- 
lery of  their  untutored  sisters^  and  the  segregation 
from  tlie  friends  and  associates  of  their  childhood 
which  have  ])roved  the  controlling  influences  in 
this  regard,  but  the  fact  remains  that  they  have  re- 
turned to  the  seclusion  of  tlie  hareem  and  the  domi- 
nation of  its  genderless  tyrants,  seemingly  as  a 
matter  of  preference  and  pleasure. 

As  already  indicated,  I  spell  the  word  hareem 
with  an  additional  e,  so  as  to  make  it  conform  to 
its  pronunciation. 


X — The  Jiaharrah  is  a  mantle  of  voluminous 
folds  which  the  women  of  Eo:v])t  wear  universally. 
It  covers  the  entire  body,  and  disguises  it  as  well — 
all  who  are  covered  witli  it  looking  alike,  and 
being  absolutely  undistinguishable.  Women  of 
position  have  them  made  of  silk,  while  those  of  less 
pretension  content  themselves  with  calico.  The 
married  affect  black  silk  and  the  unmarried  lohite. 


L — In    confirmation  of  what  has   already  been 
said  respecting  Ismail  Pasha,  I  introduce  as  a  part 


APPENDIX.  581 

of  the  res  gestct  or  contemporaneous  history  the  fol- 
lowing letter  written  from  Cairo  in  1873  to  a  lead- 
ing Baltimore  paper,  although  it  involves  a  repeti- 
tion of  a  previous  chapter.  Its  facts  remain,  but 
its  predictions  have  not  been  fulfilled.  Alas  for 
the  idleness  of  human  calculations  !  God  in  His 
wisdom  ordains,  and  men  in  their  folly  intervene  to 
disturb  His  plans  and  purposes.      "  The  end  is  not 

yet." 

Catro,  Egypt,  Aug.  10,  1873. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Baltimore  Bulletin. 

Dear  Sir  :  Ismail  Pasha,  the  Khedive  of  Egypt, 
is  the  grandson  of  Meliemet  Ali,  with  whose  name 
and  deeds  the  world  is  familiar.  His  father,  Ibra- 
him, scarcely  less  distinguished  as  a  soldier  than 
this  "  man  of  destiny  "  himself,  and  possessing  an 
innate  nobility  of  character  and  a  skill  in  political 
affairs  which  would  have  rendered  him  a  man  of 
mark  in  any  country,  died,  unfortunately,  after 
having  held  the  reins  of  government  only  ibr  a 
brief  period.  Upon  the  death  of  Said  Pasha,  the 
Pachalik  descended  to  his  nephew,  the  present 
Viceroy,  and  he  was  crowned  at  Cairo  some  time  in 
January,  1863 — a  little  more  than  ten  years  ago. 

The  day  which  witnessed  his  accession  to  power 
was  the  most  fortunate  that  ever  d  iwned  upon 
Egypt.  Since  that  time  she  has  playel  a  new  role 
in  history.  From  a  condition  of  degeneracy  she 
has  awakened  to  a  mission  of  honor  and  prosperity. 
Into  the  ''land  of  the  Pharaohs  "  the  light  of  a 
new  destiny  has  streamed,  scattering  the  mists  of 
superstition  and  ignorance  which  had  so  long  en- 
shrouded its  people,  and  diffusing  instead  the  radi- 
ance of  a  more  modern  and  inspiring  civilization. 
In  a  word,  he  has  brought  peace,  plenty,  progress 
and    independence    to    his  countrymen,   and    has 


582  APPENDIX. 

proved  himself  the  wisest  and  most  succesful  ruler 
of  the  present  century. 

This  may  seem  an  extravagant  statement,  but  it 
can  be  demonstrated  by  an  appeal  to  facts  and 
figures,  as  I  shall  proceed  to  show  you. 

Egypt,  as  you  know,  was  the  very  cradle  of  the 
arts  and  sciences.  From  her  the  wprld  received  its 
first  lesson  in  all  that  adorns,  elevates  and  dignifies 
humanity.  Her  pristine  gloriesdazzled  thenations, 
and  illustrated  the  noV)lest  civilization  of  ancient 
days.  Gradually ,  however,  she  lajtsed  from  her  high 
estate,  and  sank  to  a  condition  of  utter  demoraliza- 
tion and  insignificance.  Without  discussing  the 
causes  which  led  to  her  downfall  and  perpetuated 
)ier  abasement,  it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  for  years 
of  agony  and  humiliation  she  languished  under  the 
yoke  of  the  Mamelukes,  a  band  of  desperadoes  who 
filled  the  land  with  desolation,  and  stamped  out 
the  remants  of  its  spirit  and  intelligence.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  interests  of  Egypt  and  of  humanity, 
they  received  a  terrible  check  at  the  hands  of  Napo- 
leon, on  that  memorable  day  when  ''forty  centuries 
looked  down  from  the  summits  of  the  Pyramids" 
upon  one  of  the  most  splendid  victories  that  ever 
crowned  his  eagles  ;  while  Mehemet  Ali  subse- 
quently annihilated  their  ])ower,  and  freed  his 
country  from  their  domination. 

Out  of  the  chaos  which  consequently  confronted 
him,  this  great  man  sought  to  evolve  order  and 
to  restore  the  ancient  glories  of  his  country.  In- 
stinct with  energy  and  aspiration  himself,  he  at- 
tempted to  arouse  his  lethargic  countrymen  to 
action,  and  to  place  them  en  rapport  with  the  pro- 
gressive spirit  of  the  age.  To  this  end  he  dev^oted 
himself  to  the  establisliment  of  colleges,  the  en- 
couragement of  agriculture,  the  fostering  of  manu- 
factories, the  introduction  of  foreigners    into    his 


APPENDIX.  583 

service,  the  disciplining  of  liis  army,  and  the  de- 
velopment of  a  commerce  which  would  again  make 
his  cities  the  great  depots  of  the  Orient.  He  shrank 
in  fact  from  no  obstacle  or  sacrifice  or  expenditure 
in  the  effort  to  revive  the  dormant  energies  of  his 
people,  and  to  secure  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of 
the  land  which  he  loved  so  well.  His  efforts,  how- 
ever, were  crowned  only  with  a  partial  success. 
The  loss  of  his  intellect  from  advanced  age  and  the 
untimely  death  of  his  son  Ibrahim,  prevented  the 
complete  realization  of  his  designs,  and  left  Egypt 
improved  in  many  particulars,  but  not  thoroughly 
redeemed.  It  was  reserved,  however,  for  Ismail 
Pasha  to  catch  the  inspiration  of  Mehemet's  genius, 
and  to  consummate  that  }>olicy  to  which  he  had 
consecrated  his  life.  In  proof  of  this,  let  me  give 
you  a  brief  resume  of  the  miracles  which  the  Khe- 
dive has  wrought  within  the  last  decade. 

He  has  administered  the  laws  with  so  much 
moderation  and  equity — has  afforded  such  protection 
to  life  and  property  throughout  his  dominions — as 
to  attract  hither  thousands  of  foreigners,  whose 
capital,  enteri)rise  and  culture  have  gone  to  swell 
tlie  measure  of  Egyj»t's  })rosperity.  For  this  reason, 
together  with  that  inevitable  multiplication  which 
results  from  tranquillity  and  security,  the  popula- 
tion of  the  country  has  increased  under  his  adminis- 
tration more  than  a  million  of  souls — an  augmenta- 
tion without  a  precedent  in  itslatter  history.  Guided 
by  a  like  sagacity,  he  has  devoted  himself  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  with  assiduity  and  intelligence, 
which  have  proved  not  only  a  source  of  incalculable 
wealth  to  him  personally,  but  an  example  to  his 
countrymen — which  have  given  fresh  impulses  to 
husbandry,  and  increased  rewards  to  its  followers. 
It  is  in  this  way  that  the  delta  has  been  made  to 
subjugate  the  desert,  and  its  fertile  plains  to  teem 


584  APPENDIX. 

with  perennial  harvests  of  wheat,  corn,  rice,  barley 
and  all  the  treasures  of  indigenous  and  exotic  vege- 
tation. It  is  thus  that  sugar  has  become  an  article 
of  exjiortation,  and  that  the  cotton  crop  has  been 
augmented  Irom  a  few  bags  to  nearly  one  million 
of  bales  annually.  He  ,has  also  dug  canals  and 
built  railroads  in  every  possible  direction,  so  that 
fertility  and  the  means  of  transportation — the  Nile 
water  and  the  iron  horse — have  been  led  tli rough 
regions  hitherto  l)arren  and  inaccessible,  and  their 
])roductions  made  available  to  mankind.  The  re- 
sults of  his  policy  in  these  regards  are  exemplified 
in  the  increased  exportation  and  importation  of  the 
country — the  one  having  augmented  four-fold  and 
thu  other  thrte-folJ,  within  a  period  of  ten  years. 

With  the  same  resistless  energy  he  has  pushed 
the  boundaries  of  his  empire  to  the  equator  itself, 
reclaiming-  vast  regions  j)06<;essingirreat  agricultural 
and  mineral  wealth,  and  bringing  nations  of  bar- 
barians under  the  influences  of  civilization  and  the 
protection  of  a  stable  government.  In  less  than  four 
years  from  to-day  his  great  railroad  will  be  built, 
and  the  heart  ot  Africa  forced  to  ]>ulsate  in  unison 
with  the  world's  civilization,  and  to  ])Our  its  pro- 
lific tides  into  the  bosom  of  Egypt,  wliile  the  Suez 
canal — that  wonderful  triumph  of  liuman  genius — 
will  be  exalted  to  a  still  grander  mission  of  useful- 
ness, and  made  the  channel  through  which  will 
flow  alike  the  traftic  of  the  three  continents.  For 
though  this  stupendous  work  may  require  the  ex- 
penditure of  millions  of  pounds,  and  a  conflict  with 
nature  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  engineering, 
there  is  honor  and  profit  for  his  country  in  it,  and 
its  consummation  is  only  a  question  of  time — a  fact 
assured  and  inevitable  with  the  great  Khedive. 

Equally  has  he  proved  himself  the  friend  of  art^ 
science,  agriculture,  manufactures,  and  commerce. 


APPENDIX.  585 

Upon  tliem  all  he  has  lavished  favors  without  re- 
luctance or  limitation,  and  they  have  flourished 
accordingly.  This  is-  evinced  by  the  statues 
which,  for  the  first  time  since  the  hegira,  adorn 
the  squares  of  Alexandria  and  Cairo  ;  the  savants 
who  are  so  liberally  supported  at  pulDlic  expense  ; 
the  palaces,  theaters,  seminaries,  and  private  houses 
witli  which  he  has  ornamented  his  principal  cities  ; 
the  machinery  of  every  grade  and  variety  wherein 
the  country  abounds,  and  the  fleets  of  steamers  and 
sailing  ships  which  incessantly  sail  from  the  ports 
of  Egypt  bearing  her  products  to  the  marts  of  the 
world.  But  it  is  not  alone  with  physical  grandeur 
that  he  has  concerned  himself;  he  has  labored  to  in- 
troduce a  new  regime  of  intellectual  and  moral 
elevation  among  his  pe(j})le. 

Education  has  found  in  him  a  steadfast  friend. 
A  ripe  scholar  himself,  he  has  taken  special  pains 
not  only  to  have  his  children,  male  and  female, 
thoroughly  educated,  but  to  foster  a  similar  spirit 
among  all  classes  of  his  subjects.  His  pashas  have 
been  constrained  to  follow  his  example,  and  free 
schools  have  been  established  thoughout  Egypt,  in 
which  sixty-four  thousand  children  are  now  being 
instructed  gratuitously. 

At  the  same  time,  he  has  had  his  soldiers  in- 
structed in  all  the  practical  branches,  and  has 
adopted  a  liberal  system  of  furloughs,  so  that  in  the 
course  of  the  year  thousands  visit  tVieir  homes  for 
the  double  purpose  of  tilling  the  soil  and  dissemi- 
nating the  seeds  of  knowledge  which  they  have 
acquired.  Nor  has  he  neglected  the  education  of 
his  officers.  He  has  reorganized  the  military 
academy  at  Abbaseigh  after  tlie  plan  of  West 
Point,  and  employed  the  best  available  talent  for 
its  professorships.  In  this  way  his  army  has  been 
made   the  conservator  of  a  lasting  peace  and  the 


586  APPENDIX. 

i 

promoter  of  an  advancing  civilization — a  shield  of 
defense  for  his  country  and  a  fountain  of  enlighten- 
ment to  his  people. 

But  this  is  not  all  ;  there  is  another  particular 
in  which  he  has  conspicuously  displayed  his  great- 
ness as  a  man  and  his  sagacity  as  a  ruler.  He  has 
sought  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  women  of 
Egypt.  His  mother  and  his  daughters  have  ever 
been  the  special  objects  of  his  love  and  solicitude. 
To  the  former  a  favor  has  never  been  refused,  and 
for  the  latter  the  best  teachers  have  been  selected, 
and  every  effort  made  for  their  intellectual  and 
moral  advancement.  It  is  said  that  of  all  the  fetes 
given  last  winter  on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage 
of  the  royal  children,  the  most  splendid  was  prepared 
for  one  of  his  daughters,  and  that  he  never  appeared 
so  gracious  and  happy  as  at  that  time.  She  mar- 
mied,  as  you  know,  Tossoun  Pasha,  son  of  Said 
Pasha,  and  one  of  the  first  gentlemen  in  the  east — 
an  important  circumstance,  by  the  way,  as  his 
"  persecution  of  the  family  of  his  uncle  and  prede- 
cessor ' '  has  been  the  theme  of  many  a  lying  letter 
from  Egypt. 

Not  confining  this  work  of  reformation  to  his  own 
family,  he  has  made  provision  for  the  education  of 
young  girls  generally.  Both  at  Constantinople  and 
at  Cairo  he  has  built  female  seminaries,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  supplying  them  with  teachers  and  with 
every  appliance  which  the  highest  standard  of 
modern  instruction  demands.  His  treatment,  too, 
of  the  fair  sex  is  invariably  kind  and  j)olite,  and, 
contrary  to  all  the  precedents  of  Islam,  ladies  are 
now  received  at  the  regal  fetes,  and  treated  with 
the  most  marked  consideration  on  all  occasions. 
In  fact,  he  has  devoted  his  best  energies  to  the  task 
of  elevating  the  women  of  the  east  to  their  legiti- 
mate position  in  society  and  the  domestic  circle — 


APPENDIX.  587 

to  breaking  the  shackles  which  have  so  long  bound 
them  to  a  destiny  of  subordination,  and  to  opening 
before  them  careers  of  honor  and  usefulness  ;  and 
the  history  of  Egypt  from  the  days  of  the  Ptolemys 
downward  contains  no  prouder  page  than  that 
which  tells  of  the  moral  victory  which  he  won  in 
this  respect. 

I  must  correct  one  statement  which  I  have  re- 
cently seen  in  an  American  paper,  in  order  to  do 
full  justice  to  his  character.  Though  he  does  wear 
the  ''  stambouline  and  tarbouche,"  he  is  not  so 
^'bigoted  a  Moslem"  as  has  been  represented.  Let 
me  give  you  a  few  facts  upon  this  point.  Since 
his  accession  to  the  throne,  a  number  of  churches 
have  been  erected  with  his  consent  and  upon  land 
donated  by  him  especially  for  the  purpose,  while 
the  missionaries  here — a  band  of  faithful  and  effi- 
cient men — have  received  the  most  generous  en- 
couragement at  his  hands.  His  most  confidential 
minister,  Nuba  Pasha,  the  present  distinguished 
secretary  of  foreign  affairs,  and  one  of  the  ablest 
and  shrewdest  diplomats  of  the  age,  is  a  Christian, 
who  has  never  pretended  to  conceal  or  recant  his 
faith.  He  has  likewise  abolished  "^involuntary 
slavery"  within  his  dominions,  and  has  united 
with  the  world  in  an  honest  effort  to  annihilate  the 
^'  slave  trade."  Surely  if  a  tree  is  known  by  its 
fruits,  the  statement  which  attributes  to  him  the 
slightest  fanaticism  must  be  taken  cum  grano  salis^ 
and  regarded  as  an  assertion  in  which  the  elements 
of  ignorance  and  malice  largely  predominate.  His 
acts  indicate  rather  that  liberal  philosophy  which 
the  poet  expresses  when  he  writes  : 

"  O'er  adverse  creeds  let  wild  fanatics  rave — 
The  man  who  serves  his  God,  that  God  will  save  ; 
To  faithful  souls  of  every  clime  is  given, 
When  earth  is  past,  to  taste  a  common  Heaven  !" 


588  APPENDIX. 

With  the  success  which  has  crowned  his  foreign 
policy  you  are  doubtless  familiar.  Meheroet  Ali, 
with  all  his  genius  for  arms  and  statesmanship,  died 
simply  a  Viceroy,  possessing  only  t?ie  shadows  of 
royalty,  while  Egypt  remained  but  a  province  of 
the  Porte.  Abbas  and  Said  intrigued  continually 
for  an  extension  of  their  prerogatives,  only  to  be- 
come more  helplessly  involved  in  the  toils  of  their 
master,  and  to  render  their  vassalage  a  matter  of 
greater  notoriety  and  of  increased  humiliation.  To 
this  great  problem — so  long  the  dream  and  the 
mockery  of  his  family — Ismail  has  consecrated  all 
the  powers  of  his  intellent,  has  solved  it  successfully 
to  his  own  imperishable  honor  and  the  highest 
aggrandizement  of  his  country.  By  successive  fir- 
mans from  the  Sultan,  he  has  been  made  Khedive, 
which  in  the  language  of  the  east  means  little  less 
than  king,  the  right  of  succession  has  been  secured 
to  his  own  immediate  family — so  that  his  son  and 
not  the  oldest  descendant  of  his  grandfather,  as  Mo- 
hammedam  precedents  require,  is  the  ]3rince  heritier 
— and  last,  but  not  least  in  the  scale  of  honor  and 
importance,  Egypt  has  virtually  been  restored  to 
her  legitimate  position  in   the  family  of  nations. 

These  details  may  wear  the  guise  of  fiction,  but 
they  are  really  the  truth  of  history.  There  is  no 
exaggeration  or  false  coloring  in  the  picture  which 
I  have  attempted  to  draw  for  you.  Everything 
here  is  instinct  with  the  impress  of  his  greatness. 
Egypt,  in  fact,  from  the  Nyanza  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, is  but  one  living  eloquent  and  enduring 
monument  of  the  genius  and  triumphs  of  her  noblest 
son,  the  great  Khedive. 

In  person  Ismail  Pasha  is  of  medium  height,  with 
a  well-developed  head,  and  a  countenance  which 
recalls  that  of  our  handsome  friend  Col.  Webster, 
collector  of  the  port  of  Baltimore.     His   manner 


APPENDIX.  589 

is  simple  but  courtly,  liis  smile  briglit  and  friendly, 
and  his  whole  bearing  that  of  a  polished  gentleinan 
and  a  good  man.  A  casual  observer  might  mistake 
him  for  an  indolent  oriental,  disposed  to  "  take 
things  easy,"  and  to  ''  let  the  world  wag,"  but  one 
more  accustomed  to  '^  the  study  of  mankind"  could 
not  be  thrown  with  him  for  the  briefest  period  with- 
out discovering  in  the  lights  and  lines  of  his  seem- 
ingly placid  face  the  indices  of  an  indomitable 
will,  a  soaring  ambition  and  a  commanding  intellect, 
controlled  however  by  an  intuitive  sagacity  which 
enforces  patience,  secrecy  and  prudence — a  veritable 
Mehemet  Ali  improved  by  education,  refined  by 
foreign  association,  and  tempered  by  the  highest 
instincts  of  statesmanship,  but  unshorn  of  a  single 
attribute  of  genius,  energy  or  aspiration. 

Such  is  the  illustrious  sovereign  of  Egypt,  and 
upon  the  record  thus  recounted — the  regeneration 
and  disenthrallment  of  his  native  land — I  claim  for 
him  the  first  rank  as  a  ruler  and  the  highest  honor 
as  a  man. 

E.  W. 

It  is  twelve  years  since  this  letter  was  written, 
and  within  that  period  clouds  have  gathered  and  a 
storm  has  burst  upon  the  head  of  this  wonderful 
but  unfortunate  man .  He  who  was  then  recognized 
as  the  model  of  sovereigns,  the  paragon  of  states- 
men, and  the  regenerator  of  his  country,  has  been 
driven  from  his  throne,  banished  from  his  home, 
and  made  an  outcast  and  a  wanderer  upon  the 
earth. 

■'  But  yesterday  the  word  of  Ceesar  might 
Have  stood  against  the  world ;  now  lies  he  there, 
And  none  so  x)oor  to  do  him  reverence." 

And  yet  with  a  full  knowledge  of  all  the  facts  of 


590  APPENDIX. 

the  case — including  his  alleged  crimes,  mistakes^ 
and  shortcomings — I  have  not  a  line  to  erase  from 
my  letter,  but  would  rather  emphasize  and  reiter- 
ate every  word  which  I  have  written  respecting  him 
as  a  patriot,  a  ruler  and  a  man. 

Though  driven  from  Egypt,  his  works  remain 
there  to  proclaim  his  triumphs  in  the  cause  of  pro- 
gress, and  his  sacrifices  for  the  peace,  prosperity 
and  happiness  of  his  people — to  attest  the  grasp  of 
his  intellect,  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  and  the 
sublimity  of  his  genius. 

As  the  Pyramids  are  the  grandest  and  most  im- 
posing monuments  of  Egypt's  past  history,  so 
Ismail's  labors  for  the  moral  and  material  improve- 
ment of  his  country  are  the  noblest  and  grandest 
achievements  in  her  later  records,  and  thus  linked 
indissolubly — the  more  memorable  from  their  as- 
sociations and  the  more  conspicuous  becaus'e  of  the 
contrast  of  their  inspirations — they  are  destined  to 
loom  up  through  the  cycling  ages,  the  wonder  and 
the  admiration  of  mankind. 


]y[ — Coffee  is  the  great  national  drink  of  the 
Eo'yptians.  They  begin,  continue  and  end  the  day 
with  it.  The  story  goes  that  its  discovery  was 
made  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventh  century  of 
the  Flight — i.  e.  the  thirteenth  of  the  Christian  era — 
by  a  devotee  named  Omar,  who  having  been  forced 
by  persecution  to  a  certain  mountain  with  a  few  fel- 
lows was  induced  to  try  a  decoction  of  coffee-berries 
as  food,  with  the  result  of  discovering  its  virtues  as 
a  beverage.  It  was,  however,  notuntil  two  centuries 
later  that  the  use  of  coffee  became  common  in  Egypt, 
where  it  has  ever  since  been  used  most  lavishly. 
It  is  easy  to  understand  its  popularity,  when  the 
Prophet's   injunction  against  wine   is  considered^ 


APPENDIX.  591 

and  in  view  of  the  necessity  for  the  employment  of 
some  agent  to  induce  wakefulness  by  those  who 
devote  their  nights  to  prayer. 

Whenever  a  social  visit  is  paid,  a  cup  of  coffee  is 
offered  as  a  token  of  good  will  and  welcome.  Should 
the  host  have  another  engagement,  and  desire  to 
he  left  alone,  a  second  cup  is  offered,  which  the  visit- 
or understands  as  a  delicate  hint  to  leave,  and  which 
he  accepts  without  taking  the  slightest  offense. 
I  make  this  discovery  by  an  Experience,  which 
though  instructive  was  correspondingly  embarrass- 
ing. I  once  visited  Efftatoon  Pasha,  an  intelligent 
man  and  a  perfect  master  of  the  English  language, 
and  as  I  found  his  conversation  exceedingly  enter- 
taining, I  sat  an  hour  or  more  with  him.  During 
the  visit,  to  my  astonishment^  he  had  coffee  served 
six  different  times,  but  as  it  was  of  excellent  quality, 
and  I  am  a  dear  lover  of  it,  I  paid  no  attention  to 
the  matter,  supposing  it  to  be  one  of  the  customs  of 
the  country.  Finally  the  old  fellow,  losing  pa- 
tience at  my  pertinacity,  rose  from  his  chair,  and  re- 
marked :  "I  really  must  go,  for  I  have  a  pressing 
engagement  ;  and  seeing  that  you  do  not  under- 
stand the  etiquette  of  our  country  in  regard  to  the 
matter  of  coffee,  I  will  explain  it  to  you.  The  first 
cup  of  coffee  offered  to  a  guest  on  his  arrival  is  one 
of  welcome,  the  second  cup  says  to  him :  '  You 
must  excuse  me  now,  as  I  have  an  engagement,' 
both  being  offered  in  a  spirit  of  politeness."  I 
thanked  his  excellence  warmly,  bade  him  good 
morning,  and  never  forgot  the  lesson  which  he  had 
given  me. 

What  a  blessing  it  would  be  if  such  a  custom  ex- 
isted in  civilized  countries — a  means  by  which  to 
get  rid  of  a  bore  without  wounding  his  feelings  ! 

Tobacco  is  used  by  the  Egyptians  to  a  correspond- 
ing excess.     It  is  a  rare  thing  to    meet  a  man  in 


592  APPENDIX. 

Cairo  without  finding  liim  engaged  in  smoking,  and 
either  a  cigarette  or  a  pipe  is  offered  to  every  visitor. 
The  traditional  pipe  has.  given  place  in  a  great 
measure  to  the  cigarette,  while  cigars  are  almost 
unknown  save  in  the  palaces  of  the  rich. 

One  of  the  principal  hardships  of  the  Ramadan  is 
the  deprivation  which  it  enforces  of  the  use  of  to- 
bacco, and  more  souls  are  sacrificed  to  the  cigarette 
— if  disobedience  of  the  Koran  in  this  regard  be 
really  the  serious  sin  it  is  represented — than  to  any 
other  forbidden  object. 


N — General  TV.  W.  Zormg' was  born  in  the  State 
of  Florida,  but  of  parents  who  immigrated  from 
North  Carolina.  He  commenced  his  career  when 
only  eighteen  years  of  age  by  fighting  the  Semi- 
noles.  He  then  entered  the  United  States  Army, 
lost  an  arm  while  gallantly  leading  a  charge  in  the 
attack  on  the  City  of  Mexico,- and  rose  to  the  grade 
of  colonel.  He  took  sides  with  the  South,  distin- 
guished himself  in  several  battles,  and  was  made  a 
major-general.  He  was  one  of  the  first  Americans 
who  entered  the  service  of  the  Khedive,  commanded 
for  several  years  in  the  city  of  Alexandria,  was 
iSent  to  Abyssinia  as  chief  of  staff — a  position  which 
was  rendered  one  of  great  responsibility  and  em- 
barrassment by  the  obstinacy  and  incompetency  of 
the  commander  of  the  array — received  several 
decorations  and  was  made  a  general  of  division — 
Fereek  Pacha — by  the  Khedive,  and  finally  resigned 
his  commission  and  returned  to  the  United  States. 
He  has  recently  published  a  work  entitled  ''  A 
Confederate  Soldier  in  Egypt,"  which  is  written  in 
a  polished  and  forcible  style,  and  contains  much 
useful  information  and  many  interesting  personal 


APPENDIX.  593 

incidents.     I  am  indebted  to  it  for  much  of  the  sub- 
stance-matter of  this  volume. 

He  ought  to  be  in  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
I  hope  sincerely  that  his  native  State  will  some  day 
honor  herself  by  sending  him  there. 


0 — The  private  pJiysician  of  the  Khedive  was 
Bourguers-Bey,  a  Frenchman  of  fine  education, 
much  professional  ability  and  most  courteous 
manners.  He  subsequently  lost  his  position  because 
of  the  unexpected  and  doubtless  inevitable  death 
of  his  highness'  youngest  daughter,  the  Princess 
Zanrab,  to  whom  her  father  was  devotedly  attached. 
He  seemed  to  understand  the  23eculiarities  of  the 
Khedive's  constitution,  and  was  for  many  years  his 
intimate  friend  as  well  as  trusted  medical  adviser. 

The  favor  of  princes  is  always  uncertain,  and 
especially  is  this  true  in  Egypt,  where  intrigue  is 
rampant,  and  the  shoes  of  a  favorite  are  ever  the 
objects  of  a  sleepless  ambition.  The  only  real  suc- 
•cessful  thing  that  I  found  there  was  success,  while 
failure  invariably  invoked  disgrace  and  humiliation. 


P — Lunatics  and  idiots,  as  I  have  remarked,  are 
the  objects  of  special  respect  among  the  Egyptians. 
They  believe  that  the  souls  of  such  persons  have 
already  been  taken  to  heaven,  and  that  they  are 
the  particular  favorites  of  Allah.  Whatever  they 
may  do,  their  acts  do  not  injure  their  reputation  or 
there  sanctity,  inasmuch  as  their  spirits  are  with 
God,  and  absorbed  in  His  worship.  Such  persons 
are  called  ivelees,  and  they  are  supposed  to  be  en- 
dowed with  mysterious  and  miraculous  powers. 
The  principal  or  sheik  of  this  class  of  saints  is 
called  a  kutb,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  Prophet 
38 


594  APPENDIX. 

Elijah  held  that  position  in  his  clay,  and  that  he 
still  selects  his  successors^  and  invests  them  with 
their  peculiar  prerogatives. 

These  ?^'e?ees  sometimes  do  the  most  extraordi- 
nary things,  or  rather  curious  stories  are  told  of 
them.  It  is  said  that  there  is  a  luelee  in  Cairo  at 
this  moment  who  has  fastened  an  iron  collar  around 
his  neck,  and  chained  himself  to  the  wall,  where  he- 
has  remained  for  a  numher  of  years,  eating  only 
such  articles  of  food  as  are  brought  to  him,  and  en- 
gaged in  praying  and  in  the  pious  task  of  relieving 
the  barrenness  of  the  women  of  his  neighborhood. 

Lane  states  that  he  was  told  the  following  story — 
the  narrator  seeming  to  believe  it.  A  luelee  was 
accidentally  beheaded  for  crime,  and  his  blood  hav- 
ing trickled  upon  the  sand,  the  discovery  was  made 
that  distinct  Arabic  characters  had  been  constructed 
out  of  it,  which  read  in  this  wise  :  "■  I  am  a  welee 
of  Allah,  and  have  died  a  martyr." 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  the  human  mind 
can  surrender  itself  to  such  absurd  superstitions, 
and  yet  such  is  the  fanaticism  of  the  Arabs  that 
faith  in  these  beings  is  an  essential  element  of  their 
religious  creed. 


Q, — Abbas  Fasha,  the  grandson  of  Mehemet  Ali^ 
succeeded  Ibrahim  Pasha — the  father  of  Ismail — 
as  Viceroy  of  Egypt. 

He  was  renowned  for  his  illiberality  and  cruelty — 
was  a  thorough  Turk  and  a  heartless  tyrant.  He 
despised  foreigners,  and  pursued  his  own  people 
with  vindictive  malice.  Even  his  nearest  relatives 
did  not  escape  outrage  and  persecution  at  his  hands. 
Indifferent  to  public  interests,  he  only  sought  to 
fill  his  own  coffers  with  gold  by  the  systematic 
spoliation  of  the  people,  confining  them  to  pestilen- 


APPENDIX.  595 

tial  prisons  or  putting  tliem  to  death  if  they  mur- 
mured or  resisted. 

At  the  same  time  he  plumed  himself  on  his  piety, 
and  made  a  great  parade  over  his  observance  of  the 
requirements  of  the  Koran.  He  robbed  and  mur- 
dered at  discretion  J  but  always  in  the  name  of 
Allah,  and  professedly  for  the  benefit  of  Islam. 
He  violated  without  compunction  the  laws  of  God 
and  man,  and  yet  boasted  of  the  fervor  of  his  faith 
and  the  purity  of  his  religion. 

I  have  never  contemplated  his  character  and 
conduct  without  recalling  a  certain  Irishman,  Mis- 
ter Patrick  O'Kuke,  who  some  time  before  the  war 
found  his  way  into  one  of  the  eastern  counties  of 
North  Carolina.  On  one  occasion,  for  Patrick  was 
a  great  rascal,  he  was  arraigned  for  the  theft  of 
some  sheep^  the  property  of  one  of  his  neighbors, 
and  the  evidence  being  conclusive  against  him,  he 
was  promptly  convicted  by  the  jury. 

Judge  Heath,  who  was  a  devoted  Catholic  and 
the  only  one,  save  Patrick,  in  that  section  of  the 
country,  then  called  him  up^  and  asked  if  he  had 
anything  to  urge  in  mitigation  of  the  sentence 
which  the  law  prescribed,  viz  :  "  forty  save  one  on 
his  naked  back." 

Patrick  came  forward  without  hesitation,  and, 
in  the  most  self-assured  manner  possible,  made  the 
following  appeal  :  "  It  is  true,  your  honor,  that 
me  conduct  has  been  very  bad  indade,  and  that  I 
have  done  many  things  for  which  me  consunch  re- 
proves me  entirely,  and  that  will  be  shure  to  hurt 
me  poor  dead  mither's  falins  when  she  hears  of 
them,  but  I  did  not  take  the  shape  of  Mistress 
Spruil,  indade,  indade,  for  that  would  have  been 
against  me  religion,  and  may  it  plaze  your  honor, 
it's  the  Lord's  truth  that  in  the  maidst  of  all  my 
rascality  I  have  preserved  me  religion  intact." 


596  APPENDIX. 

So  Abbas,  tbougb  lie  stained  his  bands  with 
blood  and  bis  soul  with  crime,  pretended  to  "  pre- 
serve bis  religion  intact"  througbout  the  whole  of 
bis  long  and  disgraceful  career. 

Tt  is  told  of  Abbas  that,  on  one  occasion,  while 
walking  through  the  3Iouski,  bis  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  dispute  between  a  market-woman 
and  a  soldier.  Demanding  to  know  the  cause  of 
the  difficulty,  he  was  informed  by  the  woman  that 
the  soldier  bad  seized  her  jug  of  milk,  drunk  its 
contents  and  then  refused  to  pay  her  for  it.  The 
soldier  protested  his  innocence,  declaring  that  he 
bad  drunk  no  milk  that  day,  and  that  she  bad 
made  a  mistake. in  accusing  him  of  the  theft.  ''I 
will  settle  the  matter,"  said  the  pasha,  and  he  de- 
liberately commanded  that  the  abdomen  of  the  ac- 
cused should  be  ripped  open,  so  as  to  determine 
whether  or  not  there  was  milk  in  his  stomach — 
and  bad  the  order  executed  in  bis  presence. 

He  was  eventually  murdered  by  two  slaves,  the 
gift  of  his  aunt,  the  notorious  Nesle  Hannoun,  who 
arranged  for  tbeir  flight,  and  subsequently  over- 
whelmed them  with  favors — thus  demonstrating 
her  complicity  in  the  crime. 

His  prime  minister  hoping  to  perpetuate  his  own 
power,  endeavored  to  conceal  the  fact  of  bis  mas- 
ter's death  until  his  son  could  reach  Cairo  and 
seize  the  reins  of  government ;  and,  as  a  means  to 
that  end,  he  dressed  the  body  of  the  dead  pasha  in 
a  conspicuous  uniform,  propped  it  up  in  a  state  car- 
riage, and  having  seated  himself  by  the  side  of  the 
corpse,  had  it  driven  through  the  principal  streets 
of  Cairo.  The  intrigue  failed,  however,  for  in  the 
very  midst  of  it  the  author  himself  was  disposed 
of  by  means  of  the  traditional  cup  of  poisoned  cof- 
fee,  which  in  this  instance  at  least  was  made  to 


APPENDIX.  597 

subserve  the  ends  of  justice  by  securing  a  succes- 
sion in  conformity  with  Moslem  law  and  usages. 

His  reign  was  not  however  absolutely  barren  of 
results^  for  though  the  implacable  enem}"  of  foreign- 
ers, he  permitted  the  construction  of  the  railroad 
from  Alexandria  to  Cairo,  and  his  name  will  de- 
scend to  posterity  in  association  with  it. 

The  wife  of  Tewfick  Pasha,  the  present  Khedive, 
is  the  grandchild  of  Abbas  Pasha,  and  she  is  said 
to  be  an  unusually  handsome  and  intelligent  woman. 


R — The  word  Kismet  is  used  to  express  the  or- 
dained— the  manifestation  of  the  hand  of  Grod.  The 
Moslems  are  fatalists,  but  not  predestinationists, 
believers  in  the  inevitable,  but  not  in  the  pre-or- 
dained. Allah  to  them  is  a  personal  God,  endowed 
with  omnipotence,  but  approachable  and  responsive 
to  human  supplications  rather  than  the  embodiment 
of  immutable  designs  and  unchanging  purposes. 
Whatever  occurs  is  the  expression  of  God's  voli- 
tion, and  not  the  result  of  original  plans  and  an 
inevitable  necessity.  Hence  their  prayers,  fasts  and 
pilgrimages.  They  have  faith  in  the  immediate 
interposition  of  the  Supreme  Being  in  human  affairs 
and  they  invariably  invoke  it.  When  I  succeeded 
in  saving  the  life  of  Kassim  Pasha,  they  exclaimed 
" Kismet! '' — meaning  that  God  had  intervened  spe- 
cially and  used  me  as  His  instrument — that  I  was 
commissioned  by  Heaven  to  do  its  will  in  rescuing 
him  from  the  grave  ;  and  when  Amien  Pasha  in- 
sisted that  I  should  restore  the  vision  of  his  sight- 
less eyes,  he  attributed  to  me  divine  inspiration  as 
a  physician. 

This  was  an  unfortunate  reputation,  since  it  was 
impossible  to  maintain  it,  as  the  sequel  demon- 
gtrated. 


598  APPENDIX. 

The  Arabs  possess  no  courage,  and  yet  they  are 
thorough  fatalists.  They  shrink  from  pain  and 
danger,  and  still  they  accept  death  cheerfully. 
They  are  the  poorest  of  soldiers  and  the  most  sub- 
lime of  martyrs. 

These  contradictions  result  from  the  reciprocal 
action  and  reaction  of  the  elements  of  a  weak  char- 
acter, and  a  religion  which  promises  the  most 
abundant  sensual  rewards  to  its  professors. 

To  be  killed  in  battle  is  to  become  a  martyr  and 
to  receive  the  recompense  of  martyrdom — to  be  ad- 
mitted immediately  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  deli- 
cious fruit  and  the  sweet  waters  of  paradise,  and 
ultimately  to  the  possession  of  its  pearly  tents  and 
its  ravishing  Houris. 


S — The  recruiting  system  of  Egypt  is  unique. 
When  a  demand  for  recruits  is  made  of  the  sheik 
of  a  village  he  begins  by  seizing  those  who  are 
richest,  and  when  they  have  been  found  incapable 
of  performing  military  duty,  i.  e.,  have  purchased 
their  discharge,  he  selects  another  lot^  whose  capa- 
bility is  determined  by  the  same  standard,  and  so 
on  until  the  complement  is  secured — being  exclu- 
sively composed  of  the  impecunious.  Those  selected 
are  then  sent  to  Cairo  for  examination,  where  the. 
condition  of  their  purses  more  than  of  their  physi- 
cal systems  is  investigated,  and  if  they  are  rejected 
in  part  or  wholly,  the  sheik  makes  another  levy 
similar  in  character  to  the  original  one,  raising  at 
the  same  time  the  price  of  exemption. 

The  absorbing  thought  of  the  average  Egyptian 
is  how  to  escape  military  service,  for  he  regards  it 
as  hard  and  hopeless  servitude,  and  his  talent  in 
feicrnino;  disease  and  disabilitv  is,  as  I  have  re- 
marked  before,  something  remarkable. 


APPENDIX.  599 

I  remember,  among  a  couDtless  number  of  at- 
tempts at  deception,  an  instance  in  which  a  recruit 
had  apparently  but  one  eye.  The  lids  were  not 
only  closed  in  a  natural  manner,  but  when  forcibly 
separated  only  a  dark  mass  presented  itself.  Ex- 
amining it  with  a  glass,  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  object  which  presented  itself  was  no  patho- 
logical product,  and  proceeding  further  I  extracted 
the  fragment  of  a  leaf  which  had  been  trimmed  to 
the  proper  shape  and  size  and  inserted  so  skillfully 
beneath  the  lids  as  to  completely  cover  and  conceal 
as  sound  an  eye  as  existed  in  Egypt. 

On  another  occasion  there  was  brought  before  me 
the  most  wretched-looking  specimen  of  humanity 
that  I  ever  beheld.  He  seemed  to  be  at  least  seventy 
years  of  age,  to  be  bent  nearly  double  and  to  require 
thesupport  of  a  long  staff  to  enable  him  to  drag  him- 
self along,  while  he  sighed  and  groaned  as  if  each 
step  caused  the  greatest  agony.  He  was  clad  only  in  a 
tattered  and  dirty  pair  of  pants,  while  the  upper 
portion  of  his  body  was  perfectly  naked,  except  that 
a  soiled  rag  was  tied  around  his  right  arm.  I  was 
disposed  to  reject  him  at  first  sight,  and  to  repri- 
mand the  sheik  who  had  brought  so  dilapidated  a 
mellard  to  the  Citadel. 

Going  up  to  him,  I  placed  my  hand  on  the  rag 
-encircling  his  arm,  to  ascertain  what  it  meant  or 
concealed,  when  I  felt  something  hard  within  it, 
while  the  wretch  gave  me  a  cunning  wink.  On 
further  examinatiou  I  found  that  the  rag  con- 
tained fifty  louis^  and  I  took  in  the  situation  in 
an  instant.  It  was  intended  that  I  should  discover 
and  appropriate  the  gold,  and  then  quietly  let  its 
owner  go  free  ;  or,  in  other  words,  having  in  view 
the  standard  of  Egyptian  officials  generally,  he 
was  covertly  attempting  to  bribe  me  into  rejecting 
him  as  a  recruit.      "  Put  this  man  in  the  army,"  I 


600  APPENDIX. 

roared  out,  ^'ancl  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  have- 
him  given  the  kourhacJie  besides."  The  moment" 
that  was  interpreted  to  him  he  threw  away  his- 
staff,  assumed  the  erect  posture  and  flew  out  of  the 
room  as  lightly  as  a  deer.  I  suppose  he  is  now 
fighting  the  Mahdi,  if  death  or  desertion  has  not 
removed  him  from  the  muster-roll  of  the  army. 

How  many  bent  backs,  paralyzed  limbs  and  an- 
chylosed  joints  I  cured  with  chloroform  I  have  not 
a  record,  but  I  am  sure  they  amounted  to  many 
hundreds. 

Sympson  little  dreamed  of  the  service  which  he 
was  rendering  to  the  Khedive  when  he  discovered 
this  pain-quieting  and  truth-revealing  agent. 

It  was  not  until  my  experience  with  the  recruits- 
that  I  had  a  conception  of  the  injury  which  is 
wrought  by  ophthalmia  among  the  inhabitants  of 
Egypt,  or  of  their  ideas  respecting  its  treatment. 
A  large  majority  of  those  who  came  before  me  for 
examination  had  suffered  from  it  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent,  and  bore  the  marks  of  it. 

Their  reliance  is  mainly  upon  charms  for  the 
cure  of  this  disease  and  others.  Some,  for  this- 
purpose,  take  a  piece  of  dried  mud  from  the 
banks  of  the  Nile,  and  crossing  over  from  Bulak 
deposit  it  at  Imbabeh,  a  small  village  on  the  oppo- 
site shore.  Others  suspend  from  the  head-dress^ 
a  Venetian  seguin,  taking  care  to  select  one  in 
which  the  figures  upon  either  side  correspond  in 
position.  Strange  to  say,  if  a  person  with  such  a 
coin  or  a  new  five-franc  piece  enters  the  room  of 
one  suffering  from  the  disease,  he  is  supposed  ta 
intensify  it. 

One  of  the  most  common  methods  of  healing 
this  disease,  and,  indeed,  all  others,  is  to  write 
prayers  and  verses  from  the  Koran  on  strips  of 
paper,  then  to  immerse  them  in  water  until  thej 


APPENDIX.  601 

liave  become  thoroughly  disintegrated,  and  to 
drink  the  resultant  mixture.  Quite  an  amusing 
story  is  told  in  this  connection.  It  runs  in  this 
wise  :  A  sick  Arab  called  a  foreign  physician  to 
see  him,  and  the  doctor,  not  being  able  to  find  a 
suitable  piece  of  paper  in  the  house,  wrote  his 
prescription  upon  a  fragment  of  rough  brown  pa- 
per. Some  time  afterward  meeting  his  patient 
in  the  street,  he  stopped  him  and  inquired  re- 
specting his  health,  and  the  effect  of  the  prescrip- 
tion. ^^ Allah  be  praised  for  saving  me,"  the  pious 
Muslim  replied.  "It  took  nearly  all  day  to  dissolve 
so  that  I  could  swallow  it  at  all^  and  when  I  did 
succeed  in  getting  it  down  it  gave  me  such  a  colic 
that  I  came  near  dying  of  it."  The  ignoramus, 
true  to  the  habit  of  a  lifetime  and  the  superstitions 
of  his  country,  instead  of  procuring  and  taking  the 
dose  which  the  prescription  called  for,  had  at- 
tempted to  dissolve  the  paper  in  a  glass  of  water, 
and  then  had  swallowed  the  concoction. 

A  patient  of  my  own  exhibited  equal  ignorance 
and  superstition.  Coming  to  my  house  on  one  oc- 
casion he  asked  for  a  remedy  for  diarrhoea,  and 
I  gave  him  an  opium  pill.  Meeting  him  some 
months  after  he  stopped  my  carriage,  and,  with 
many  expressions  of  gratitude  and  laudations  of 
the  efficacy  of  the  pill — which  he  declared  had  not 
only  cured  him  at  once,  but  had  kept  him  well 
for  six  months — earnestly  requested  another.  De- 
lighted with  the  success  of  my  remedy,  I  asked 
some  questions  respecting  its  mode  of  action,  when 
I  was  amazed  to  hear  him  say  that  he  had  "  only 
lost  it  on  yesterday."  Further  investigation  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  he  had  not  swallowed  it,  but 
had  faithfully  worn  it  as  a  charm  about  his  neck, 
and  that  he  had  derived  the  greatest  possible  ben- 
efit from  "the  remedy." 


602  APPENDIX. 

In  the  large,  open  space  on  the  west  side  of  the 
citadel  is  a  building  called  3Iaghsel-es- Sultan,  con- 
taining a  stone  table  upon  which  the  bodies  of 
criminals  executed  by  decapitation  are  washed  pre- 
vious to  their  interment,  and  beneath  this  table  is 
a  trough  filled  with  blood  and  putrescent  water — 
for  it  is  never  emptied  or  cleaned.  The  most  sov- 
ereign cure  for  ophthalmia  known  to  the  Arabs  is  a 
pilgrimage  to  this  place,  and  the  performance  of  a 
certain  ceremony  after  getting  there.  Observing 
the  most  profound  silence — for  the  utterance  of  a 
single  word  is  supposed  to  break  the  spell — and 
repeating  certain  verses  from  the  Koran,  the  victim 
of  ophthalmia  passes  under  this  stone  table  seven 
times  with  his  left  foot  carried  foremost,  and  then 
washes  his  face  in  the  polluted  w^ater  contained  in 
the  trough.  Many  women  do  the  same  thing,  in 
order  to  be  relieved  of  barrenness,  or  to  bring  about 
delivery  in  cases  of  protracted  pregnancy. 

Another  popular  cure  is  to  hang  from  their 
necks  the  finger  of  a  Christian  or  a  Jew,  cut  from  a 
corpse  and  dried. 


T— Bribery  and  corruption  existed  to  a  fearful 
extent.  Being  poorly  and  irregularly  paid  at  best, 
and  with  that  elasticity  of  conscience  which  belongs 
to  the  east,  many  officials  thought  it  no  crime  to 
make  money  out  of  the  government,  by  fair  means 
or  foul.  My  predecessor  in  office  enriched  himself 
by  the  sale  of  furloughs  and  discharges,  but  a 
timely  discovery  and  a  prolonged  mission  to  the 
Soudan  interfered  with  the  enjoyment  of  his  for- 
tune. The  prince  minister  informed  me  that  brib- 
ery had  been  the  special  crime  of  the  medical 
department,  and  that  it  had  cost  Egypt  thousands 
of  good  soldiers.     When  it  was  discovered  that  I 


APPENDIX.  603 

could  not  be  directly  approaclied,  the  attempt  was 
constantly  made  to  reach  me  through  Achmed  and 
William.  Hundreds  of  pounds  were  offered  them, 
but  they  were  thoroughly  honest,  and  they  rejected 
the  offers  with  disdain. 

Of  course  there  were  many  officials  above  cor- 
ruption and  as  honorable  in  all  regards  as  any 
men  upon  the  earth ;  but  I  am  convinced  that  the 
American  officers  rendered  incalculable  service  to 
Egypt  in  giving  to  it  the  example  of  a  higher 
standard  of  probity  than  it  had  ever  known  before. 

If  Ismail  Pasha  possessed  all  the  money  of  which 
he  was  robbed  while  occupying  the  Khedival  throne 
he  would  to-day  be  the  richest  man  in  Europe. 
Such  I  know  to  be  his  own  opinion. 

I  have  previously  remarked  that  intrigue  was 
rampant  in  Egypt,  and  I  will  give  you  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  truth  of  my  assertion,  which  fortunately 
has  an  agreeable  side  to  it. 

The  contract  for  butter  was  a  most  important 
one,  as  the  soldiers  use  a  large  quantity  of  semi- 
rancid  grease,  which  they  call  by  this  name,  with 
their  vegetables.  In  1874  this  contract  was  ob- 
tained by  a  certain  German,  and  as  it  required  the 
outlay  of  several  thousand  pounds  sterling  he  was 
compelled  to  invite  a  rich  native  to  participate  in 
it  in  order  to  raise  the  necessary  funds,  though  he 
kept  the  fact  to  himself.  After  the  butter  had 
been  purchased,  accepted,  and  partially  consumed, 
the  minister  of  war  was  induced  by  some  adroit 
and  unscrupulous  enemies  of  the  contractor — who 
used  the  soldiers  as  their  tools  in  the  matter — to 
believe  that  the  butter  was  of  inferior  quality,  and 
to  reject  it  and  advertise  for  another  supply.  The 
German  was  in  despair,  for  utter  ruin  stared  him 
in  the  face.  Finally  he  and  his  silent  partner — 
the  native  to  whom  I  have  referred — hit  upon  the 


604  APPENDIX. 

following  adroit  scheme  for  their  relief  and  protec- 
tion: The  native  came  forward,  and  with  many  pi- 
ous denanciations  of  the  '^Christian  dog"  who  had 
thus  attempted  to  deceive  the  Khedive  and  outrage 
the  soldiers  by  furnishing  butter  of  an  inferior 
quality,  persuaded  the  minister  to  give  the  con- 
tract to  him,  and  then  supplied  the  very  butter 
which  he  and  the  German  had  originally  pur- 
chased. 

The  army  was  delighted  with  the  change;  it  was 
pronounced  the  finest  butter  that  had  ever  been 
furnished.  The  contrast  between  Moslem  faith 
and  Christian  fraud  was  universally  indulged  in  ; 
and  the  German  and  his  native  coadjutor  were  not 
only  saved  from  bankruptcy  but  were  made  super- 
latively happy  by  the  realization  of  a  handsome 
profit  from  their  investment. 

I  discovered  the  subterfuge  some  months  after 
the  change  of  contractors,  and  I  had  a  long  and 
anxious  debate  with  myself  as  to  whether  to  reveal 
it  or  not;  but,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  butter 
was  perfectly  acceptable  to  the  soldiers  and  that 
the  discovery  of  the  deception  would  have  led  to 
the  complete  ruin  of  the  parties  interested,  without 
benefiting  the  Khedive  or  the  country,  I  held  my 
tongue,  and  I  have  never  regretted  having  done  so. 
What  would  you  have  done  under  similar  circum- 
stances? 


U — Colonel  Prout  greatly  distinguished  himself 
while  in  the  service  of  the  Khedive.  His  report  on 
Darfour  and  Kardofan  is  a  most  able  and  scientific 
production,  adding  materially  to  the  world's  knowl- 
edge of  those  distant  provinces,  and  showing  him 
to  be  an  indefatigable  explorer  and  an  accom- 
plished scientist. 


APPENDIX.  605 

He  especially  attracted  the  attention  of  G-eneral 
Gordon,  and  was  made  the  vice-governor-general 
of  the  Soudan — an  exalted  position  for  so  young  a 
man. 

His  high  moral  character  and  his  accomplish- 
ments as  a  gentleman  won  universal  respect  in 
Egypt,  and  it  was  a  source  of  universal  regret 
when  the  condition  of  his  health  compelled  him  to 
leave  the  service  of  the  Khedive. 

Colonel  Dye,  now  chief  of  the  police  of  Wash- 
ington. D.  C,  has  published  a  history  of  the  Abys- 
sinian campaign,  and  barring  some  regretable 
personalities,  the  work  is  a  very  valuable  and  in- 
teresting one.  He  had  received  a  regular  military 
education  at  West  Point,  and  he  proved  himself  a 
most  efficient  officer. 

In  the  American  colony  in  Egypt,  as  is  usual  in 
small  communities — especially  abroad — there  were 
some  beart-burnings  and  hard  feelings,  but  for  one 
I  have  tried  to  forget  them,  and  such  I  hope  and 
believe  to  be  the  sentiment  and  the  line  of  conduct 
of  all  who  served  the  Khedive.  On  the  whole,  I 
think  that  our  country  was  well  represented  in 
Egypt,  and  that  the  impress  of  American  mind 
will  be  felt  there  for  many  years  to  come. 


V — The  snake  "  charmers"  of  Egypt  have  been 
described  by  all  who  have  written  on  that  country. 
They  are  divided  into  several  classes,  each  claim- 
ing some  special  accomplishment.  The  class  to 
which  I  have  referred  are  known  as  rifaee  or  saadee 
darioislies,  and  they  make  it  their  vocation  to  rid 
houses  of  serpents.  I  naturally  supposed  that  the 
whole  affair  was  a  trick,  and  that  they  had  intro- 
duced the  snakes  into  my  stable  with  the  conni- 
vance of  the  syce.     Many  reliable  Egyptians  with 


606  APPENDIX. 

whom  I  talked  on  the  suhject  assured  me  that  I 
was  wrong  in  this  suspicion,  and  that  the  slieihs 
actually  possess  the  power  of  determining  the  pres- 
ence of  these  reptiles  and  of  inducing  them  to  ap- 
pear. Lane,  who  lived  long  in  Egypt,  and  investi- 
gated the  matter  critically,  says  that  he  has  known 
of  instances  of  their  success  in  this  connection  in 
which  deception  was  impossible.  He  says  also  that 
if  they  discover  a  venomous  serpent  they  extract 
his  fangs  before  handling  them.  From  William's 
account  their  anxiety  when  the  syce  disappeared^ 
and  their  joy  when  the  snakes  had  bitten  him,  were 
certainly  genuine. 

Other  classes  of  "charmers"  can  constantly  be 
seen  about  the  streets  performing  tricks  with  ser- 
pents and  scorpions  which  would  chill  one's  blood 
but  for  the  reflection  that  the  fangs  of  the  one  and 
the  poison  of  the  other  have  been  carefully  ex- 
tracted. 

At  many  of  their  religious  festivals  darivishes  eat 
living  snakes  as  a  part  of  their  devotions,  seem- 
ingly without  disgust  and  with  impunity. 

1  cannot  permit  the  occasion  to  pass  without 
relating  a  snake  story,  which,  though  not  con- 
nected in  any  way  with  Egypt,  is  sufficiently 
amusing  in  itself  to  be  appropriate  here  : 

Dr.  H.,  then  of  Gatesville,  North  Carolina,  and 
remarkable  for  the  corpulency  of  his  person  and 
the  dignity  of  his  bearing,  showed  his  devotion  to 
natural  history  by  keeping  several  rattlesnakes  in 
his  room  safely  caged,  as  he  supposed,  in  a  box 
which  had  been  specially  constructed  for  the  pur- 
pose. One  night,  after  he  had  retired,  he  was 
awakened  by  hearing  the  reptiles  crawling  over 
the  floor  and  springing  their  rattles  in  the  most 
threatening  manner.  Here  was  a  dilemma  indeed, 
for  the  light  had  been  extinguished,  the  table  upon 


APPENDIX.  607 

whicli  were  matches  and  a  candle  was  beyond  the 
reach  of  his  hand,  and  the  building  in  which  he 
lived  was  remote  from  other  habitations  and  con- 
tained not  another  human  being. 

Frightened  nearly  to  death,  not  daring  to  put  his 
feet  to  the  floor,  and  expecting  every  moment  to  feel 
the  cold  body  of  one  of  the  reptiles  in  contact  with 
his  person,  he  sprang  to  one  of  the  bed-posts — the 
bedstead  fortunately  being  an  old-fashioned  high- 
poster — climbed  to  its  summit  and  remained  cling- 
ing there,  notwithstanding  his  ponderosity  and 
unfamiliarity  with  gymnastic  feats,  crying  out : 
"  Murder !  Fire  !  Help  !  Help  !' ^  at  the  pitch  of 
his  voice,  until  some  negroes  passing  to  their  work 
on  the  succeeding  morning  overheard  his  frantic 
appeals,  dispatched  his  dangerous  playthings,  and 
relieved  him  from  his  disagreeable  predicament. 
That  night's  experience  thoroughly  cured  him  of 
his  love  of  natural  history,  and  he  showed  fight 
for  the  remainder  of  his  days  whenever  the  word 
^'  snake''  was  mentioned  in  his  presence. 


W — In  connection  with  the  matter  of  secret 
denunciation  and  the  system  of  espionage  still  em- 
ployed by  the  police  of  Paris,  some  curious  revela- 
tions are  given  by  M.  Andrieux,  deputy  for  Lyons, 
and  himself  a  former  prefect  of  police  in  Paris,  in 
the  "  Kecollections"  he  is  publishing  in  the  journal, 
the  Ligue,  which  he  recently  founded.  He  states 
that,  when  he  took  possession  of  his  post  at  the 
prefecture^  his  secretary  brought  to  him  a  volumin- 
ous portfolio  or  dossier  containing  all  the  reports 
and  denunciations  previously  made  against  him  to 
the  police,  and  which  are  carefully  preserved  in  the 
archives.  M.  Andrieux  confirms  the  statement 
that  every  person  of  note  from  position,  birth,  for- 


608  APPENDIX. 

tune^  beauty,  etc.,  lias  his  or  lier  account  open  at 
the  prefecture.  These  are  classed  in  three  cate- 
gories by  the  color  of  the  covers  in  which  these 
documents  are  contained.  The  most  numerous  are 
the  blue,  reserved  for  politicians  and  leading  mem- 
bers of  society  ;  yellow  is  for  criminals,  and  white 
for  the  affairs  concerning  public  morals.  All  in- 
formation concerning  each  person,  whether  derived 
from  direct  reports  or  newspaper  paragraphs  or 
anonymous  letters,  is  preserved  until  wanted,  and 
M.  Andrieux  was  convinced  by  his  own  experience 
how  large  a  share  of  these  details  are  calumnies. 
He  nevertheless,  taking  a  professional  view,  thinks 
the  system  an  excellent  one,  provided  that  the  con- 
tents of  these  dossiers  are  not  revealed  to  private 
individuals.  The  goverament,  he  remarks,  often 
requires  to  know  what  has  been  said  or  written  of  a 
person  to  whom  its  attention  has  been  directed,  and 
even  the  most  lying  imputation  may  throw  a  gleam 
of  light  on  the  obscurity.  It  was  generally  sup- 
posed that  such  police  surveillance  existed  only  in 
Russia,  but  espionage  is  apparently  not  the  appan- 
age of  any  particular  form  of  government.  M. 
Andrieux  relates  that  he  carried  his  dossier  away 
wdth  him  and  had  it  bound  and  placed  in  his 
library,  forgetting  the  articles  of  the  penal  code, 
which  punish  with  fine  and  imprisonment  the  ab- 
straction and  removal  of  documents  from  the  pub- 
lic offices  and  archives. 


IL— Scandal  agencies  or  establishments  for  the 
collection  of  information  respecting  the  character 
and  conduct  of  private  individuals  abound  in  this 
city,  and  they  are  a  disgrace  to  it  and  to  the  civili- 
zation of  the  age.  As  has  recently  been  shown  by 
a  notorious  case  in  Paris,  it  is  possible  for  a  consid- 


APPENDIX.  H09 

eration  to  have  the  privacy  of  any  person  invaded 
and  to  procure  the  most  scandalous  information 
concerning  them,  without  regai'd  to  truth,  and  in 
violation  of  every  law  of  decency  and  propriety.  A 
wretch  connected  with  one  of  them  has  just  met 
his  death  at  the  hands  of  an  outraged  woman,  and 
it  would  prove  a  blessing  to  humanity  were  the 
race  exterminated.  1  append  an  advertisement  of 
one  of  these  agencies  taken  from  the  Figaro. 
So  long'  as  they  exist  the  character  of  no  man  or 
woman  is  secure  from  slander  and  injury. 

^INVESTIGATIONS  OFFICIEUSES  dans  1'- 
interet  prive  des  gens  du  monde,  des  families  et 
des  negociants.— MISSIONS  DE  CONFIANCE.— 
KECHERCHES  de  toute  nature  en  France  et  a 
I'etranger.— RENSEIGNEMENTS  INTIMES  et 
CONFIDENTIELS.— M.  FAUCHE,  37  rue  Saint- 
Andre  des  Arts — 20e  annee." 

Such  is  the  civilization  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Y — Letters.  The  subjoined  letters  were  addressed 
to  me  at  the  close  of  the  exhibition  of  1878 : 


Navy  DeparTxMent, 
Washington,  D.  C,  February  1,  1879. 
Sir:  The  Department  learns  through  a  communi- 
cation  made  by  First  Lieutenant  B.    R.    Russell, 
senior  officer  of  the  Marine  Corps,  lately  on   duty 
at  the  Paris  exhibition,  of  your  voluntary   profes- 
sional services  to  the  members  of  the  guard  while 
in  Paris.     Lieut.  Russell  reports  that  you  volun- 
teered your  services  on  the  arrival  of  the  marines, 
39 


f)10  APPENDIX 

and  that  you  were  most  faithful  to  them    during 
their  stay  in  Paris. 

It  gives  me  ^reat  pleasure  as  the  head  of  the 
Department  of  the  Navy,  of  which  the  Marine 
Corps  is  a  hranch,  to  thank  you  for  your  generous 
course  to  Lieut.  Russell  and  his  command,  fully 
believing  that  your  courtesy  and  professional  ser- 
vices contributed  greatly  to  their  health  and  com- 
fort. 

1  am,  sir,  very  respectfully  yours, 
(Signed:)  R.  W.  Thompson, 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Dr.  Edward  Warren,  Paris,  France. 


Headquarters  Marine  Corps, 

Commandant's  Office, 
Washington,  D.  C,  February  1,  1879. 
Sir  :  I  have   been  informed  by  Lieutenant  Rus- 
sell,   commanding    a   detachment   of    the    United 
States  Marine  Corps  serving  at  the   Paris  exposi- 
tion, that  you  volunteered  your  professional  services 
for  his  command  upon  his  arrival   in    Paris,  and 
that  you  have  been  most  faithful  in  your  attention. 
Permit  me,  as  commandant  of  the  United  States 
Marine  Corps,  in  its  name  to  tender  you  my  most 
sincere  thanks  for  your   thoughtful    and   disinter- 
ested kindness. 

It  will  afford  me  much  pleasure   to  bring   it   to 
the  notice  of  the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
Yours  respectfully, 

C.  G.  M.  Gawley, 

Colonel  Commandant. 

Dr.  Edward  Warren,  Paris,  France. 


APPENDIX.  611 

U.  S.  Frigate  "Constitution," 

Havre,  France,  January  8,  1879. 
Sir:  Before  leaving  France  I  desii'e  to  express 
my  thanks  to  you  for  your  kind  attention  to  the 
marine  guard  under  my  command.  Your  prompt 
attention  in  the  treatment  of  my  men,  who  have 
required  your  services,  and  your  many  excellent 
suggestions  for  the  guarding  of  their  general  health, 
have  heen  of  invaluable  assistance  to  me  in  keeping 
my  men  up  to  the  high  standard  so  necessary  when 
on  service  in  a  foreign  country.  I  have  addressed 
an  official  letter  to  the  commandant  of  the  United 
States  Marine  Corps,  stating  the  importance  of  your 
services,  and  recommending  that  a  letter  of  recog- 
nition be  addressed  to  you  from  headquarters,  as 
being  more  befitting  than  any  from  myself. 
Yery  respectfully, 

B.  R.  Russell, 
First  Lieutenant  U.  S.  M.  G. , 

Commanding  Officer. 

Dr.  Edward  Warren-Bey,  Paris. 


Z — The  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  of  France 
was  instituted  by  Napoleon  I  on  the  19th  of  May, 
1802,  and  was  designed  as  a  reward  for  military  or 
civil  services,  merit  and  worthy  deeds. 

The  political  changes  which  have  since  occurred 
in  France  have  had  no  influence  upon  the  destiny 
of  this  order,  as  it  has  been  in  tuin  confirmed  alike 
by  the  government  of  the  Bourbons,  of  the  Or- 
leanists  and  of  the  Republic. 

Its  members  are  divided  into  four  classes,  viz  : 
Grand  crosses,  grand  officers,  commanders,  officers 
and  chevaliers,  and  all  who  are  admitted  to  it  must 
begin  with  the  lowest  rank — that  of  chevalier. 


nri  ^       APPENDEX. 

Membership  can  only  be  lost  by  disenfranchise- 
rnent  or  the  conviction  of  some  crime,  recognized 
as  such  by  the  penal  code  of  France. 

It  is  a  rare  circumstance  for  a  foreigner  to  be 
promoted  in  this  order,  and  a  large  majority  who 
receive  it  live  and  die  chevaliers,  nor  is  promotion 
a  matter  of  much  consequence  as  is  the  right  to 
wear  ^'leruhan  roz^^e,"  which  counts  in  this  country. 

The  penalty  for  wearing  its  insignia  without  au- 
thorization is  a  severe  one,  as  its  prerogatives  are 
guarded  with  ceaseless  vigilance,  and  no  deception 
in  this  regard  is  tolerated. 

As  the  order  is  greatly  esteemed  in  France,  many 
persons  seek  foreign  decorations,  the  ribbons  of 
which  correspond  in  color 'with  that  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor,  so  that  they  may  be  taken  for  its  mem- 
bers. This  is  notably  true  of  the  order  of  Christ 
of  Portugal,  and  it  is  consequently  in  great  demand. 
Of  late  the  authorities  have  compelled  the  mem- 
bers of  such  orders  to  wear  appropriate  insignia  so 
as  to  distinguish  them  and  to  prevent  imposition. 

As  the  first  wish  of  every  Frenchman's  heart  is 
to  possess '^  the  Cross/'  you  can  well  understand 
,  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  efforts  which  are  made 
to  obtain  it.  For  it  the  midnight  lamp  is  trimmed, 
the  perils  of  savage  lands  are  dared,  the  forlorn 
hope  is  led  and  death  in  every  form  is  braved,  while 
intrigue  has  no  shoal  or  dei)th  which  is  not  sounded. 
The  desire  for  social  recognition  or  rehabilitation 
furnishes  perhaps  still  the  strongest  incentive  in 
this  regard,  for  whatever  may  have  been  the  status 
or  the  antecedents  of  the  decore^  ^'  the  Cross"  makes 
him  at  once  the  peer  of  the  proudest  of  his  compa- 
triots, and  answers  all  questions  respecting  his  past 
history.  The  dossier  of  every  aspirant  is  demanded 
of  the  prefect  previous  to    his    nomination,    but   I 


APPENDIX.  613 

suppose  that  secret  denunciations  are  taken  cum 
grano  salis  in  this  regard. 

I  am  convinced  that  an  honor  of  this  kind,  one 
which  is  at  once  a  meed  of  distinction  and  a  badge 
of  respectability,  and  is  within  the  reach  of  every 
one,  however  humble  his  origin  or  insignificant  his 
influence,  exercises  a  potent  influence  for  good  in 
France.  An  order  of  chivalry  having  honor  as  its 
foundation,  and  whose  portals  cannot  be  opened 
with  gold,  is  certainly  less  antagonistic  to  a  repub- 
lican form  of  government  and  more  elevating  in  its 
influences  upon  a  j)eople  than  the  moneyed  monopo- 
lies which  are  the  curse  of  our  country.  It  is  an 
agreeable  thing  to  carry  a  badge  which  proclaims 
that  its  owner  has  been  honored  by  his  country  for 
good  deeds  or  great  attainments,  and  which  com- 
mands the  respect  and  consideration  of  all  who 
see  it. 

1  am  under  special  obligations  in  this  connection 
to  M.  Waddington,  the  late  minister  of  foreign 
affairs  and  the  present  minister  to  the  Court  of  St. 
Jauies,  and  I  realized  that  I  could  not  owe  a  debt 
of  gratitude  to  a  better  or  an  abler  man.  He  is  of 
English  descent,  and  his  wife  is  an  American,  a 
(laughter  of  the  late  Charles  King,  of  New  York, 
and  a  worthy  representative  of  her  country  in  all 
regards. 


ERRATUM. 


The  author  not  having  been  able  to  revise  the  proofe,  in 
consequence  of  his  absence  from  the  country,  an  occasional 
error  has  occurred  in  the  volume,  mostly  of  proper  names, 
(notably  "Maria  Jones"  for  "Maria  Innes,"  on  page  46,)  a 
fault  which  will  no  doubt  be  readily  overlooked. 


R15U.W25 
V/252 

Warren  1885 

A  doctor* s  experiences 

in  three  continents. 


